LIBRARY 


PRINCETON,  N.  J. 

Divi 


No.  Case,_^:'7S:i:,: 
No.  Shelf,  Sectioi^., 


No.  Book,  .,        /^ 


The  John  IW.  Krehs   Donation. 


BV  4501  ,R95  1851 
Ryle,  J.  C.  1816-1900. 
Living  or  dead? 


(Cnntnitig- 


L 

PAGE 
LIVING  OR  DEAD,         •...'.,,,         5 

IL 

CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS,    .     .     .     ,     ,     .     .   55 
ARE  YOU  FORGIVEN  ?      ..,.,,.  106 

IV. 

ARE  YOU  HOLY  ? 173 

V. 

ONLY  ONE  WAY, ,     .  217 

VI. 

CHRIST  AND  THE  TWO  THIEVES, 25Y 

VII. 

faith's  CHOICE, ,  ^  292 

VIII. 

REMEMBER  LOT,  ......,,    826 


LIVIIG  OE  DEAD? 


I  $tthB  nf  Mnmt  €xnt^B. 


BY   THE 


REV.  J.  C.  RYLE,  B.A., 

RECTOR  or  HKLMINGHAM,  SUFFOLK. 


♦*If  the  trumpet  give  an  uncertain  sound,  who  shall  prepare 
himself  to  the  battle?"— 1  Cor.  xiv.  8. 


NEW    YORK: 

ROBERT   CARTER   &    BROTHERS, 
No.    285     BROADWAY. 

1831. 


lining  nr  BhM 

"you  hath  he  quickened  who  were  dead." 

Ephesians  ii.  1. 

Reader, — 

Look  at  the  words  before  your  eyes, 
and  ponder  thenn  well.  Search  your  own  heart, 
and  do  not  lay  down  this  paper  without  solemn 
self-inquiry.  I  meet  you  this  day  with  one 
simple  question, — Are  you  among  the  living,  or 
among  the  dead  ? 

Listen  to  me  while  I  try  to  help  you  to  an 
answer.  Give  me  your  attention,  while  I  unfold 
this  matter,  and  show  you  what  God  has  said 
about  it  in  the  Scriptures.  If  I  say  hard  things, 
it  is  not  because  I  do  not  love  you.  I  write 
as  I  do,  because  I  desire  your  salvation.  He 
is  your  best  friend,  who  tells  you  the  most  truth. 

L  First  then,  let  me  tell  you  what  we  all  are 
by  nature, — we  are  DEAD ! 


LIVING   OK   DEAD. 


"  Dead"  is  a  strong  word,  but  it  is  not  my 
own  coining  and  invention.  I  did  not  choose 
it.  Tlie  Holy  Ghost  told  Paul  to  write  it  down 
about  the  Ephesians, — "  You  hath  he  quickened 
who  were  dead."  (Eph.  ii.  1.)  The  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  made  use  of  it  in  the  parable  of  the 
prodigal  son, — "  This  my  son  was  dead,  and  is 
alive  again."  (Luke  xv.  24,  32.)  You  will  read 
it  also  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians, — "  One 
died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead.''  (2  Cor.  v.  14.) 
Shall  a  mortal  man  be  wise  above  that  which 
is  written  ?  Must  I  not  take  heed  to  speak 
that  which  I  find  in  the  Bible,  and  neither  less 
nor  more  ? 

"  Dead"  is  an  aw^ful  idea,  and  one  that  man 
is  most  unwilling  to  receive.  He  does  not  like 
to  allow  the  whole  extent  of  his  soul's  disease. 
He  shuts  his  eyes  to  the  real  amount  of  his 
danger.  Many  a  one  will  allow  me  to  say  that 
naturally  most  people  "  are  not  quite  what  they 
ought  to  be, — they  are  thoughtless, — they  are 
unsteady, — they  are  gay, — they  are  wild, — they 
are  not  serious  enough."  But  dead  ?  Oh  !  no ! 
I  must  not  mention  it.     It  is  going  too  far  to 


LIVING   OR  DEAD. 


say  that.  The  idea  is  a  stone  of  stumbling, 
and  a  rock  of  oflence.* 

My  dear  Reader,  what  we  Hke  in  religion  is 
of  very  little  consequence.  The  only  question 
is — What  is  written  ?  What  saith  the  Lord  ? 
God's  thoughts  are  not  man's  thoughts,  and 
God's  words  are  not  man's  words.  God  says 
of  every  living  person,  who  is  not  a  decided 
Christian, — be  he  high  or  low,  rich  or  poor,  old 
or  young, — he  is  dead. 

In  this,  as  in  everything  else,  God's  words 
are  right.  Nothing  could  be  said  more  correct, 
nothing  more  accurate,  nothing  more  faithful, 
nothing  more  true.  Stay  a  little,  and  let  me 
reason  this  out  with  you.     Come  and  see. 

What  should  you  have  said,  if  you  had  seen 
Joseph  weeping  over  his  father  Jacob  ? — "  He 
fell  upon  his  face,  and  wept  upon  him,  and 
kissed  him."  (Gen.  1.  1.)  But  there  was  no  re- 
ply to  his  affection.     All  about  that  aged  coun- 

*  "  That  is  the  reason  -we  are  no  better,  because  our  dis- 
ease is  not  perfectly  known :  that  is  the  reason  we  are  no 
better,  because  we  know  not  how  bad  we  are." — Archbishop 
Usher's  Sermons,  preached  at  Oxford.     1650. 


8  LIVING  OR  DEAD. 

tenance  was  unmoved,  silent,  and  still.  Doubt- 
less you  would  have  guessed  the  reason. — Jacob 
was  dead. 

What  would  you  have  said,  if  you  had  heard 
the  Levite  speaking  to  his  wife,  when  he  found 
her  lying  before  the  door  in  Gibeah  ?  "  Up," 
he  said,  "  and  let  us  be  going.  But  none  an- 
swered." (Judg.  xix.  28.)  His  words  were 
thrown  away.  There  she  lay,  motionless,  stiff, 
and  cold.  You  know  the  cause. — She  was 
dead. 

What  would  you  have  thought,  if  you  had 
seen  the  Amalekite  stripping  Saul  of  his  royal 
ornaments  in  Mount  Gilboa  ?  He  "  took  from 
him  the  crown  that  was  upon  his  head,  and  the 
bracelet  that  was  on  his  arm."  (2  Sam.  i.  10.) 
There  was  no  resistance.  Not  a  muscle  moved 
in  that  proud  face.  Not  a  finger  was  raised  to 
prevent  him.     And  why  ? — Saul  was  dead. 

What  should  you  have  thought,  if  you  had 
met  the  widow's  son  in  the  gate  of  Nain,  lying 
on  a  bier,  wrapped  about  with  grave-clothes, 
followed  by  his  weeping  mother,  carried  slowly 
towards  the  tomb  ?  (Luke  vii.  12.)     Doubtless 


LIVING   OR   DEAD.  H 


So  long  as  he  puts  the  first  things  last  and  the 
last  first,  buries  his  talent  like  an  unprofitable 
servant,  and  brings  the  Lord  no  revenue  of 
honor,  so  long  in  Grod's  sight  he  is  dead.  He 
is  not  filling  the  place  in  creation  for  v^^hich  he 
was  intended.  He  is  not  using  his  powders  and 
faculties  as  God  meant  them  to  be  used.  The 
poet's  words  are  strictly  true, 

"  He  only  lives  who  lives  to  God, 
And  all  are  dead  beside." 

This  is  the  true  explanation  of  sin  not  felt, — 
and  sermons  not  believed, — and  good  advice 
not  followed, — and  the  Gospel  not  embraced, — 
and  the  world  not  forsaken, — and  the  cross  not 
taken  up,— and  self-will  not  mortified, — and  evil 
habits  not  laid  aside, — and  the  Bible  seldom 
read — and  the  knee  never  bent  in  prayer.  Why 
is  all  this  on  every  side  ?  The  answer  is  simple. 
Men  are  dead. 

This  is  the  true  account  of  that  host  of  ex- 
cuses for  neglect  of  religion,  which  so  many 
make  with  one  consent.  Some  have  no  learn- 
ing, and  some  have  no  time.  Some  are  op- 
pressed with  business,  and  some  with  poverty. 


12  LIVING   OK  DEAD. 

Some  have  difficulties  in  their  own  families, 
and  some  in  their  own  health.  Some  have  pe- 
culiar obstacles  in  their  calling,  which  others, 
we  are  told,  cannot  understand ;  and  others  have 
peculiar  drawbacks  at  home,  and  they  wait  to 
have  them  removed.  But  God  has  a  shorter 
word  in  the  Bible,  which  describes  all  these 
people  at  once.     He  says,  they  are  dead. 

This  is  the  true  explanation  of  many  things 
which  wring  a  faithful  minister's  heart.  Many 
around  him  never  attend  a  place  of  worship  at 
all.  Many  attend  so  irregularly,  that  it  is  clear 
they  think  it  of  no  importance.  Many  attend 
once  on  a  Sunday,  who  might  just  as  easily 
attend  twice.  Many  never  come  to  the  Lord's 
table, — never  appear  at  a  week-day  means  of 
grace  of  any  kind.  And  why  is  all  this  ?  Often, 
far  too  often,  there  can  only  be  one  reply  about 
these  people.     They  are  dead. 

See  now,  dear  Reader,  how  all  professing 
Christians  should  examine  themselves  and  try 
their  own  state.  It  is  not  in  church-yards  alone 
where  the  dead  are  to  be  found.  There  are 
only  too  many  inside  our  churches,  and  close 


LIVING  OK  DEAD.  9 

it  would  have  been  all  clear  to  you.  It  would 
have  needed  no  explanation. — The  young  man 
was  dead. 

Now,  I  say  this  is  just  the  condition  of  every 
man  by  nature  in  the  matter  of  his  soul.  I  say 
this  is  just  the  state  of  the  vast  majority  of 
people  around  us  in  spiritual  things.  God  calls 
to  them  continually, — by  mercies,  by  afflictions, 
by  ministers,  by  His  word ; — but  they  do  not 
hear  His  voice.  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  mourns 
over  them,  pleads  with  them,  sends  them  gra- 
cious invitations,  knocks  at  the  door  of  their 
hearts  ; — but  they  do  not  regard  it.  The  crown 
and  glory  of  their  being,  that  precious  jewel, 
their  immortal  soul,  is  being  seized,  plundered, 
and  taken  away ; — and  they  are  utterly  uncon- 
cerned. The  devil  is  carrying  them  away,  day 
after  day,  along  the  broad  road  that  leads  to 
destruction  ; — and  they  allow  him  to  make  them 
his  captives  without  a  struggle.  And  this  is 
going  on  everywhere, — all  around  you, — among 
all  classes, — through  the  length  and  breadth  of 
the  land.  You  know  it  in  your  own  conscience, 
while  you  read  this  paper.    You  must  be  aware 


10  LIVING  OR  DEAD. 

of  it.  You  cannot  denv  it.  And  what  then, 
I  ask  you,  can  be  said  more  perfectly  true  than 
that  which  God  says,  We  are  all  by  nature 
spiritually  dead? 

Yes  !  when  a  man's  heart  is  cold  and  uncon- 
cerned about  religion, — when  his  hands  are 
never  employed  in  doing  God's  work, — when 
his  feet  are  not  familiar  with  God's  ways, — 
when  his  tongue  is  seldom  or  never  used  in 
prayer  and  praise, — when  his  ears  are  deaf  to 
the  voice  of  Christ  in  the  Gospel, — when  his 
eyes  are  blind  to  the  beauty  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven, — when  his  mind  is  full  of  the  world, 
and  has  no  room  for  spiritual  things, — when 
these  marks  are  to  be  found  in  a  man,  the  word 
of  the  Bible  is  the  right  word  to  use  about  him, 
and  that  word  is  "dead." 

We  may  not  like  this  perhaps.  We  may 
shut  our  eyes  both  to  facts  in  the  world,  and 
texts  in  the  Word.  But  God's  truth  must  be 
spoken,  and  to  keep  it  back  does  positive  harm. 
Truth  must  be  spoken,  however  condemning  it 
may  be.  So  long  as  man  does  not  serve  God 
with  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  he  is  not  really  alive. 


LIVING  OR  DEAD.  18 


to  our  pulpits, — too  many  on  the  benches,  and 
too  many  in  the  pews.  The  land  is  like  the 
valley  in  Ezekiel's  vision,  full  of  bones,  and 
those  very  dry.  There  are  dead  souls  in  all 
our  parishes,  and  dead  souls  in  all  our  streets. 
There  is  hardly  a  family  in  which  all  live  to 
God.  There  is  hardly  a  house  in  which  there 
is  not  some  one  dead.  Oh !  search  and  look  at 
home.     Prove  your  own  self. 

See  too  how  sad  is  the  condition  of  all  who 
have  gone  through  no  spiritual  change,  whose 
hearts  are  still  the  same  as  in  the  day  they  were 
born.  There  is  a  mountain  of  division  between 
them  and  heaven.  They  have  yet  to  pass  from 
death  to  life.  Oh !  that  they  did  but  see  and 
know  their  danger !  Alas !  it  is  one  fearful 
mark  of  spiritual  death,  that,  like  natural  death, 
it  is  not  felt.  We  lay  our  beloved  ones  ten- 
derly and  gently  in  their  narrow  beds,  but  they 
feel  nothing  of  what  we  do.  "  The  dead,"  says 
the  wise  man,  *'  know  not  anything."  (Eccl.  ix. 
5.)     And  this  is  just  the  case  with  dead  souls. 

See  too  what  reason  ministers  have  to  be 
anxious  about  their  congregations.     We  feel 


14  LIVING  OR  DEAD. 

that  time  is  short,  and  life  is  uncertain.  We 
know  that  death  spiritual  is  the  high-road  that 
leads  to  death  eternal.  We  fear  lest  any  of 
those  we  preach  to  should  die  in  their  sins,  un- 
prepared, unrenewed,  impenitent,  unchanged. 
Oh !  marvel  not  if  we  often  speak  strongly,  and 
plead  with  you  warmly.  We  dare  not  give  you 
flattering  titles,  amuse  you  with  trifles,  say 
smooth  things,  and  cry  peace,  peace,  when 
life  and  death  are  at  stake,  and  nothing  less. 
The  plague  is  among  you.  We  feel  that  we 
stand  between  the  living  and  the  dead.  We 
must  and  will  use  great  plainness  of  speech. 
"If  the  trumpet  give  an  uncertain  sound,  who 
shall  prepare  himself  for  the  battle?"  (1  Cor. 
xiv.  8.) 

II.  Let  me  tell  you,  in  the  second  place, 
what  every  man  needs  who  would  he  saved, — he 
must  he  quickened  and  made  alive. 

Life  is  the  mightiest  of  all  possessions.  From 
death  to  life  is  the  mightiest  of  all  changes. 
And  no  change  short  of  this  will  ever  avail  to 
fit  man's  soul  for  heaven. 

Yes !  it  is  not  a  little  mending  and  alteration, 


LIVING-   OR   DEAD.  15 

— a  little  cleansing  and  purifying, — a  4ittle 
painting  and  patching, — a  little  turning  over  a 
new  leaf,  and  putting  on  a  new  outside,  that  is 
wanted.  It  is  the  bringing  in  of  something 
altogether  new, — the  planting  within  us  a  new 
nature, — a  new  being, — a  new  principle, — a 
new  heart, — this  alone,  and  nothing  less  than 
this,  will  ever  meet  the  necessities  of  man's 
soul.* 

To  hew  a  block  of  marble  from  the  quarry, 
and  carve  it  into  a  noble  statue, — to  break  up  a 
waste  wilderness,  and  turn  it  into  a  garden  of 
flowers, — to  melt  a  lump  of  iron-stone,  and  forge 
it  into  watch-springs ; — all  these  are  mighty 
changes.  Yet  they  all  come  short  of  the  change 
which  every  child  of  Adam  requires,  for  they 
are  merely  the  same  thing  in  a  new  form,  the 
same  substance  in  a  new  shape.  But  man  re- 
quires the  grafting  in  of  that  which  he  had  not 
before.     He  needs  a  change  as  great  as  a  res- 

*  "  It  is  not  a  little  reforming  will  save  the  man,  no,  nor  all 
the  morality  of  the  world,  nor  all  the  common  graces  of  God's 
Spirit,  nor  the  outward  change  of  tlie  life :  they  will  not  do, 
unless  we  are  quickened  and  have  a  new  life  wrought  ia  us." 
—  Usher's  Sermons. 


16  LIVING   OR  DEAD. 

urrettion  from  the  dead.  He  must  become  a 
new  creature.  Old  things  must  pass  away,  and 
all  things  must  become  new.  He  must  be 
born  again,  born  from  above,  born  of  God. 
The  natural  birth  is  not  a  whit  more  necessary 
to  the  life  of  the  body,  than  is  the  spiritual 
birth  to  the  life  of  the  soul. 

I  know  well  this  is  a  hard  saying.  I  know 
well  the  children  of  this  world  dislike  to  hear 
they  must  be  born  again.  It  pricks  their  con- 
sciences. It  makes  them  feel  they  are  further 
off  from  heaven  than  they  are  willing  to  allow. 
It  seems  like  a  narrow  door  which  they  have  not 
yet  stooped  to  enter,  and  they  would  fain  make 
the  door  wider,  or  climb  in  some  other  way. 
But  I  dare  not  give  place  by  subjection  in  this 
matter.  I  will  not  foster  a  delusion,  and  tell 
people  they  only  need  repent  a  little,  and  stir 
up  a  gift  they  have  within  them,  in  order  to  be- 
come real  Christians.  I  dare  not  use  any  other 
language  than  that  of  the  Bible.  And  I  say  in 
the  words  which  are  written  for  our  learning, — 
we  all  need  to  be  born  again,  we  are  all  natu- 
rally dead,  and  must  be  made  alive. 


LIVING  OR  DEAD.  17 


Reader,  if  you  had  seen  Manasseh,  king  of 
Judah,  at  one  time  filling  Jerusalem  with  idols, 
and  murdering  his  children  in  honor  of  false 
gods,  at  another  purifying  the  temple,  putting 
down  idolatry,  and  living  a  godly  life ; — if  you 
had  seen  Zacchaeus,  the  publican  of  Jericho,  at 
one  time  cheating,  plundering,  and  covetous,  at 
another  following  Christ,  and  giving  half  his 
goods  to  the  poor ; — if  you  had  seen   the  ser- 
vants of  Nero's  household,  at  one  time  conform- 
ing to  their  master's  profligate  ways,  at  another 
of  one  heart  and  mind  with  the  apostle  Paul ; 
— if  you  had  seen  the  ancient  father,  Augustine, 
at  one  time  living  in  open  neglect  of  the  seventh 
commandment,  at  another  walking  closely  with 
God  ; — if  you  had  seen  our  own  Reformer,  Lati- 
mer, at  one  time  preaching  earnestly  against 
the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  at  another  spending 
and  being  spent  even  to  death  in  its  cause ; — 
if  you  had  seen  the  New  Zealanders,  or  Tinne- 
velly  Hindoos,  at  one  time  blood-thirsty,  im- 
moral, and  sunk  in  abominable  superstitions,  at 
another  holy,  pure,  and  believing  Christians  ; — 
if  you  had  seen  these  wonderful  changes,  or 

2 


18  LIVING   OR  DEAD. 


any  of  them,  I  ask  you  what  you  would  have 
said  ?  Would  you  thave  been  content  to  call 
them  nothing  more  than  amendments  and  altera- 
tions? Would  you  have  been  satisfied  with 
saying  that  Augustine  had  reformed  his  ways, 
and  Latimer  turned  over  a  new  leaf?  Verily^ 
if  you  had  said  no  more  than  this,  the  very 
stones  would  have  cried  out.  I  tell  you  in  all 
these  cases  there  was  nothing  less  than  a  new 
birth,  a  resurrection  of  human  nature,  a  quicken- 
ing of  the  dead.  These  are  the  right  words  to 
use.  All  other  language  is  weak,  poor,  beg- 
garly, unscriptural,  and  short  of  the  truth. 

Now  I  will  not  shrink  from  saying  plainly, 
we  all  need  the  same  kind  of  change,  if  we  are 
to  be  saved.  The  difference  between  us  and 
any  of  those  I  have  just  named,  is  far  less 
than  it  appears.  Take  oft*  the  outward  crust, 
and  you  will  find  the  same  nature  beneath  in 
us  and  them,  an  evil  nature  requiring  a  com- 
plete change.  The  face  of  the  earth  is  very 
different  in  different  climates,  but  the  heart  of 
the  earth,  I  am  told,  is  everywhere  the  same. 
Go  where  you  will,  from  one  end  to  the  other, 


LIVING   OK   DEAD.  19 

you  would  always  find  the  granite  rock  beneath 
your  feet,  if  you  only  bored  down  deep  enough. 
And  it  is  just  the  same  with  men's  hearts. 
Their  customs  and  their  colors,  their  ways  and 
their  laws,  may  all  be  utterly  unlike,  but  the 
inner  man  is  always  the  same ; — their  hearts 
are  all  alike  at  the  bottom,  all  stony,  all  hard, 
all  ungodly,  all  needing  to  be  thoroughly  re- 
newed. The  Englishman  and  the  New  Zea- 
lander,  stand  on  the  same  level  in  this  matter. 
Both  are  naturally  dead,  and  both  need  to  be 
made  alive.  Both  are  children  of  the  same 
father  Adam,  who  fell  by  sin,  and  both  need 
to  be  born  again,  and  made  children  of  God. 

Reader,  whatever  part  of  the  globe  we  live 
in,  our  eyes  need  to  be  opened :  naturally  we 
never  see  our  sinfulness,  guilt,  and  danger. 
Whatever  nation  we  belong  to,  our  understand- 
ings need  to  be  enlightened  :*   naturally  we 

*  "  Man's  understanding  is  so  darkened  that  he  can  see 
nothing  of  God  in  God,  nothing  of  holiness  in  holiness,  nothing 
of  good  in  good,  nothing  of  evil  in  evil,  nor  anything  of  sin- 
fulness in  sin.  Nay,  it  is  so  darkened  that  he  fancies  himself 
to  see  good  in  evil,  and  evil  in  good,  happiness  in  sin,  and 
misery  in  holiness." — Bishop  Beveridge  on  the  Articles. 


20  LIVING   OR  DEAD. 

know  little  or  nothing  of  the  plan  of  salvation; 
— like  the  Babel-builders,  we  think  to  get  to 
heaven  our  own  way.  Whatever  church  we 
may  belong  to,  our  wills  need  to  be  bent  in  the 
right  direction ; — naturally  v/e  should  never 
choose  the  things  which  are  for  our  peace, — we 
should  never  come  to  Christ.  Whatever  be 
our  rank  in  life,  our  affections  need  to  be  turned 
to  things  above ; — naturally  we  only  set  them 
on  things  below,  earthly,  sensual,  short-lived, 
and  vain.  Pride  must  give  place  to  humility, 
— self-righteousness  to  self-abasement, — care- 
lessness to  seriousness — worldliness  to  holiness, 
— unbelief  to  faith.  Satan's  dominion  must  be 
put  down  within  us,  and  the  kingdom  of  God 
set  up.  Self  must  be  crucified,  and  Christ  must 
reign.  Till  these  things  come  to  pass,  we  are 
dead  as  stones.  When  these  things  begin  to 
take  place,  and  not  till  then,  we  are  alive. 

Reader,  I  dare  to  say  this  sounds  like  foolish- 
ness to  some.  I  tell  you  that  many  a  living 
man  could  stand  up  this  day  and  testify  that  it  is 
true.  Many  a  one  could  tell  you  that  he  knows 
it  all  by  experience,  and  that  he  does  indeed 


LIVING   OR  DEAD.  21 

he]  himself  a  new  man.  He  loves  the  things  that 
once  he  hated,  and  hates  the  things  that  once 
he  loved.  He  has  new  habits,  new  companions, 
new  ways,  new  tastes,  new  feelings,  new 
opinions,  new  sorrows,  new  joys,  new  anxieties, 
new  pleasures,  new  hopes,  and  new  fears.*  In 
short,  the  whole  bias  and  current  of  his  being 
is  changed.  Ask  his  nearest  relations  and 
friends,  and  they  would  bear  witness  to  it. 
Whether  they  liked  it  or  not,  they  would  be 
obliged  to  confess  he  was  no  longer  the  same. 

Many  a  one  could  tell  you  that  once  he  did 
not  think  himself  such  a  very  great  transgressor. 
At  any  rate  he  fancied  he  was  no  worse  than 
others.  Now  he  would  say,  with  the  apostle 
Paul,  he  feels  himself  the  chief  of  sinners. f 

*  "  How  wonderfully  doth  the  new-born  soul  differ  from 
his  former  self.  He  liveth  a  new  life,  he  walketh  in  a  new 
way,  he  steereth  his  course  by  a  new  compass  and  towards  a 
new  coast.  His  principle  is  new,  his  pattern  is  new,  his  prac- 
tices are  new,  his  projects  are  new,  all  is  new.  He  ravels 
out  all  he  had  wove  before,  and  employeth  himself  wholly 
about  another  work." — George  Swinnocke.     1660. 

f  "  I  cannot  pray,  but  I  sin :  I  cannot  hear  or  preach  a 
sermon,  but  I  sin :  I  cannot  give  an  alms,  or  receive  the  sacm- 
ment,  but  I  sin :  nay,  I  cannot  so  much  as  confess  my  sins, 


22  LIVING   OR  DEAD. 


Once  he  did  not  consider  he  had  a  bad  heart. 
He  might  have  his  faults,  and  be  led  away  by 
bad  company  and  temptations,  but  he  had  a 
good  heart  at  the  bottom.  Now  he  would  tell 
you  he  knows  no  heart  so  bad  as  his  own.  He 
finds  it  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  des- 
perately wicked. 

Once  he  did  not  suppose  it  was  a  very  hard 
matter  to  get  to  heaven.  He  thought  he  had 
only  to  repent,  and  say  a  few  prayers,  and  do 
what  he  could,  and  Christ  would  make  up  what 
was  wanting.  Now  he  believes  the  way  is 
narrow,  and  few  find  it.  He  is  convinced  he 
could  never  have  made  his  own   peace  with 

but  my  confessions  are  still  aggravations  of  them.  My  re- 
pentance needs  to  be  repented  of,  my  tears  want  washing, 
and  the  very  washing  of  my  tears  needs  still  to  be  washed  over 
again  with  the  blood  of  my  Redeemer." — Bishop  Beveridge. 

"  Woe  is  me,  that  man  should  think  there  is  anything  in 
me !  He  is  my  witness,  before  whom  I  am  as  crystal,  that 
the  secret  house-devils,  that  bear  me  too  ofLen  company,  that 
the  corruption  which  I  find  within,  make  me  go  with  low 
sails." — Rutherford's  Letters.     1631. 

"  I  am.  sick  of  all  I  do,  and  stand  astonished  that  the  Re- 
deemer still  continues  to  make  use  of  and  bless  me.  Surely 
1  am  more  foolish  than  any  man  ;  no  one  receives  so  much 
and  does  so  little."—  Whitejield's  Letters. 


LIVING   OK   DEAD. 


God.  He  is  persuaded  that  nothing  but  the 
blood  of  Christ  could  wash  away  his  sins.  His 
only  hope  is  to  be  justified  by  faith  without  the 
deeds  of  the  law. 

Once  he  could  see  no  beauty  and  excellence 
in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He  could  not  under- 
stand some  ministers  speaking  so  much  about 
Him.  Now  he  would  tell  you  he  is  the  pearl 
above  all  price,  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand, 
— his  Redeemer,  his  Advocate,  his  Priest,  his 
King,  his  Physician,  his  Shepherd,  his  all. 

Once  he  thought  lightly  about  sin.  He  could 
not  see  the  necessity  of  being  so  particular 
about  it.  He  could  not  think  a  man's  words 
and  thoughts  and  actions  were  of  such  impor- 
tance, and  required  such  watchfulness.  Now 
he  would  tell  you  sin  is  the  abominable  thing 
which  he  hates,  the  sorrow  and  burden  of  his 
life.  He  longs  to  be  more  holy.  He  can  enter 
thoroughly  into  Whitefield's  desire,  "  I  want  to 
go  where  I  shall  neither  sin  myself,  nor  see 
others  sin  any  more." 

Once  he  found  no  pleasure  in  means  of  grace. 
The  Bible  was  neglected.     His  prayers,  if  he 


24  LIVING   OR   DEAD. 

had  any,  were  a  mere  form.  Sermons  were  a 
weariness,  and  often  sent  him  to  sleep.  Now 
all  is  altered.  These  things  are  the  food,  the 
comfort,  the  delight  of  his  soul. 

Once  he  disliked  earnest-minded  Christians. 
He  shunned  them  as  melancholy,  low-spirited, 
weak  people.  Now  they  are  the  excellent  of 
the  earth,  of  whom  he  cannot  see  too  much. 
He  is  never  so  happy  as  he  is  in  their  company. 
He  feels  if  all  men  and  women  were  saints  it 
would  be  heaven  upon  earth. 

Once  he  cared  only  for  this  world,  its  pleas- 
ures, its  business,  its  occupations,  its  rewards. 
Noio  he  looks  upon  it  as  an  empty,  unsatisfying 
place, — an  inn, — a  lodging, — a  training-school 
for  the  life  to  come.  His  treasure  is  in  heaven. 
His  home  is  beyond  the  grave. 

Reader,  I  ask  you  once  more,  what  is  all  this 
but  a  new  life  ?  Such  a  chanore  as  I  have  de- 
scribed is  no  vision  and  fancy.  It  is  a  real 
actual  thing,  which  not  a  few  in  this  world 
have  known  or  felt.  It  is  not  a  picture  of  my 
own  imagining.  It  is  a  true  thing,  which  many 
a  one  could  find  at  this  moment  hard  by  his 


LIVING   OR   DEAD.  25 

own  doors.  But  wherever  such  a  change  does 
take  place,  there  you  see  the  thing  of  Vv^hich  I 
am  now  speaking, — you  see  the  man  made 
alive,  a  new  man,  a  new  creature,  a  soul  born 
again. 

I  would  to  God  that  changes  such  as  these 
were  more  common !  I  would  to  God  there 
were  not  such  multitudes,  of  whom  we  must 
say  even  weeping,  they  know  nothing  about 
the  matter  at  alL  But  common  or  not,  one 
thing  I  say  plainly,  this  is  the  kind  of  change 
we  all  need.  I  do  not  hold  that  all  must  have 
exactly  the  same  experience.  I  allow  most 
fully  that  the  change  is  different,  in  degree,  ex- 
tent, and  intensity,  in  different  persons.  Grace 
may  be  weak,  and  yet  true ; — life  may  be  feeble, 
and  yet  real.  But  I  do  confidently  affirm,  we 
must  all  go  through  something  of  this  kind,  if 
ever  we  mean  to  be  saved.  Till  this  sort  of 
change  has  taken  place,  there  is  no  life  in  us  at 
all.  We  may  be  living  Churchmen,  but  we  are 
dead  Christians.* 

*  "  If  we  be  still  our  old  selves,  no  changelings  at  all,  the 
same  men  that  we  came  into  the  world,  witliout  defalcation 


26  LIVING  OR  DEAD. 

Take  it  home,  every  man  or  woman  that 
reads  this  paper,  take  it  home  to  your  own 
conscience,  and  look  at  it  well.  Some  time  or 
other,  between  the  cradle  and  the  grave,  all 
who  would  be  saved  must  be  made  alive.  The 
words  which  good  old  Berridge  had  graven  on 
his  tomb-stone  are  faithful  and  true,  "  Reader, 
art  thou  born  again  ?  Remember !  no  salva- 
tion without  a  new  birth." 

See  now,  my  dear  Reader,  what  an  amazing 
gulf  there  is  between  the  Christian  in  name 
and  form,  and  the  Christian  in  deed  and  truth. 
It  is  not  the  difference  of  one  being  a  little 
better,  and  the  other  a  little  worse  than  his 
neighbor.; — it  is  the  difference  between  a  state 
of  life  and  a  state  of  death.  The  meanest  blade 
of  grass  that  grows  upon  a  Highland  mountain  is 
a  more  noble  object  than  the  fairest  wax-fiower 
that  was  ever  formed  ;  for  it  has  that  which  no 

of  our  corruptions,  without  addition  of  grace  and  sanctification, 
Burely  we  must  seek  us  another  Father,  we  are  not  yet  tlie 
sons  of  God." — Bishop  Hall.     1652. 

"  If  thou  hast  anything  less  than  regeneration,  believe  me, 
thou  canst  never  see  heaven.  There  is  no  hope  of  heaven  till 
then, — till  thou  art  born  again." — Archbishop  Usher's  Sermons. 


LIVING  OR   DEAD.  27 

science  of  man  can  impart, — it  has  life.  The 
most  splendid  marble  statue  in  Greece  or  Italy 
is  nothing  by  the  side  of  the  poor  sickly  child 
that  crawls  over  the  cottage  floor;  for  with 
all  its  beauty  it  is  dead.  And  the  weakest  mem- 
ber of  the  family  of  Christ  is  far  higher  and 
more  precious  in  God's  eyes,  than  the  most 
gifted  man  of  the  world.  The  one  lives  unto 
God,  and  shall  live  forever ; — the  other,  with 
all  his  intellect,  is  still  dead  in  sins. 

Oh!  you  that  have  passed  from  death  to 
life,  you  have  reason  indeed  to  be  thankful. 
Remember  what  you  once  were  by  nature, — 
dead.  Think  what  you  are  now  by  grace, — 
alive.  Look  at  the  dry  bones  thrown  up  from 
the  graves.  Such  were  ye ; — and  who  has 
made  you  to  differ  ?  Go  and  fall  low  before 
the  footstool  of  your  God.  Bless  Him  for  His 
grace,  His  free  distinguishing  grace.  Say  to 
Him  often,  "  Who  am  I,  Lord,  that  thou  hast 
brought  me  hitherto  ?  Why  me,  why  hast  thou 
been  merciful  unto  me  ?" 

in.  Let  me  tell  you  in  the  third  place,  in 
what  way  alone  this  quickening  can  he  brought 


28  LIVING   OR   DEAD. 

about, — by  what  means  a  dead  soul  can  he  made 
alive. 

Surely,  if  I  did  not  tell  you  this,  it  would  be 
cruelty  to  write  what  I  have  written.  Surely, 
it  would  be  leading  you  into  a  dreary  wilder- 
ness, and  then  leaving  you  without  bread  and 
water; — it  would  be  like  marching  you  down 
to  the  Red  Sea,  and  then  bidding  you  walk 
over ; — it  would  be  commanding  you  to  make 
brick,  like  Pharaoh,  and  yet  refusing  to  pro- 
vide you  with  straw ; — it  would  be  like  tying 
your  hands  and  feet,  and  then  desiring  you  to 
war  a  good  warfare,  and  so  run  as  to  obtain 
the  prize.  I  will  not  do  so.  I  will  not  leave 
you,  till  I  have  pointed  out  the  wicket-gate 
towards  which  you  must  run.  By  God's  help, 
I  will  set  before  you  the  full  provision  there  is 
made  for  dead  souls.  Listen  to  me  a  little 
longer,  and  I  will  once  more  show  you  what  is 
written  in  the  Scripture  of  truth. 

One  thing  is  very  clear; — we  cannot  work 
this  mighty  change  ourselves.  It  is  not  in  us. 
We  have  no  strength  or  power  to  do  it.  We 
may  change  our  sins,  but  we   cannot  change 


LIVING   OR  DEAD.  29 

our  hearts.  We  may  take  up  a  new  way,  but 
not  a  new  nature.  We  may  make  consider- 
able reforms  and  alterations.  We  may  lay 
aside  many  outward  bad  habits,  and  begin 
many  outward  duties.  But  we  cannot  create 
a  new  principle  within  us.  We  cannot  bring 
something  out  of  nothing.  The  Ethiopian 
cannot  change  his  skin,  nor  the  leopard  his 
spots ;  no  more  can  we  put  life  into  our  own 
souls.*     (Jer.  xiii.  23.) 

Another  thing  is  equally  clear,  no  man  can 
do  it  for  us.  Ministers  may  preach  to  you, 
and  pray  with  you, — receive  you  at  the  font  in 
baptism,  admit  you  at  the  Lord's  table,  and 
give  you  the  bread  and  wine ; — but  they  can- 

*  "  There  is  not  one  good  duty  which  the  natural  man  can 
do.  If  it  should  be  said  to  hini^  Think  but  one  good  thought, 
and  for  it  thou  shalt  go  to  heaven,  he  could  not  think  it. 
Till  God  raise  him  from  the  sink  of  sin,  as  he  did  Lazarus 
from  the  grave,  he  cannot  do  anything,  that  is  well-pleasing 
to  God.  He  may  do  the  works  of  a  moral  man,  but  to  do 
the  works  of  a  man  quickened  and  enlightened,  it  is  beyond 
his  power." —  Usher's  Sermons. 

"  Nature  can  no  more  cast  out  nature,  than  Satan  can  cast 
out  Satan." — Thomas  Watson.     1653. 

"  Nature  cannot  raise  itself  to  this,  any  more  than  a  man 
can  give  natural  being  to  himseW^— Archbishop  Leighton. 


80  LIVING  OR  DEAD. 

not  bestow  spiritual  life.  They  may  bring  in 
regularity  in  the  place  of  disorder,  and  out- 
ward decency  in  the  place  of  open  sin.  But 
they  cannot  go  below  the  surface.  They  can- 
not reach  your  hearts.  Paul  may  plant  and 
Apollos  water,  but  God  alone  can  give  the  in- 
crease.    (1  Cor.  iii.  6.) 

Who  then  can  make  a  dead  soul  alive  ?  No 
one  can  do  it  but  God.  He  only  who  breathed 
into  Adam's  nostrils  the  breath  of  life,  can 
ever  make  a  dead  sinner  a  living  Christian. 
He  only  who  formed  the  world  out  of  nothing 
in  the  day  of  creation,  can  make  man  a  new 
creature.  He  only  who  said,  "  Let  there  be 
light,  and  there  was  light,"  can  cause  spiritual 
light  to  shine  into  man's  heart.  He  only  who 
formed  man  out  of  the  dust  and  gave  life  to  his 
body,  can  ever  give  life  to  his  soul.  His  is  the 
special  office  to  do  it  by  His  Spirit,  and  His 
also  is  the  power.* 

Reader,  the  glorious  Gospel  contains  provi- 

*  "  To  create  or  bring  something  out  of  nothing,  is  beyond 
the  power  of  the  strongest  creature.  It  is  above  the  strength 
of  all  men  and  angels  to  create  the  least  blade  of  grass ; 
God  challengeth  this  as  His  prerogative  royal.   (Isaiah  xl.  26.) 


LIVING  OR  DEAD.  81 

sion  for  your  spiritual,  as  well  as  your  eternal 
life.  The  dead  must  come  to  Christ,  and  He 
will  give  them  life  as  well  as  peace.  He  is 
able  to  do  everything  which  sinners  need.  He 
cleanses  them  by  His  blood, — He  makes  them 
alive  by  His  Spirit.  The  Lord  Jesus  is  a 
complete  Saviour.  That  mighty  living  Head 
has  no  dead  members.  His  people  are  not 
only  justified  and  pardoned,  but  quickened  to- 
gether with  Him,  and  made  partakers  of  His 
resurrection.  To  Him  the  Spirit  joins  the 
sinner,  and  raises  him  by  that  union  from 
death  to  life.  In  Him  the  sinner  lives,  after 
he  has  believed.  The  spring  of  all  his  vitality 
is  the  union  between  Christ  and  his  soul, 
which  the  Spirit  begins  and  keeps  up.  Christ 
is  the  appointed  fountain  of  all  spiritual  life, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  the  appointed  agent  whc 
conveys  that  life  to  our  souls.* 

Augustine  said  truly,  To  convert  the  little  world  man,  is  more 
than  to  create  the  great  world." — George  Swinnocke.     1660. 

*  "  Then  do  we  begin  to  live,  when  we  begin  to  have 
union  with  Christ,  the  Fountain  of  Life,  by  His  Spirit  com- 
municated to  us :  from  this  time  we  are  to  reckon  our  life." 
— Flavel. 

"  Christ  is  an  iiniversal  principle  of  all  life." — Sihhs.  1635. 


82       •  LIVING   OK   DEAD. 

Come  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  if  you  would 
have  life.  He  will  not  cast  you  out.  He  has 
gifts,  even  for  the  rebellious.  The  moment 
tlie  dead  man  touched  the  body  of  Elisha,  he 
revived  and  stood  upon  his  feet.  (2  Kings  xiii. 
21.)  The  moment  you  touch  the  Lord  Jesus 
with  the  hand  of  faith,  you  are  alive  unto  God, 
as  well  as  forgiven  all  trespasses.  Come,  and 
vour  soul  shall  live. 

I  never  despair  of  any  one  becoming  a  de- 
cided Christian,  whatever  he  may  have  been 
in  days  gone  by.  I  know  how  great  the 
change  is  from  death  to  life.  I  know  the 
mountains  of  division  that  seem  to  stand  be- 
tween some  of  you  and  heaven.  I  know  the 
hardness,  the  prejudices,  the  desperate  sinful- 
ness of  the  natural  heart.  But  I  remember 
that  God  the  Father  made  the  glorious  world 
out  of  nothing.  I  remember  the  voice  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  could  reach  Lazarus  when  four 
days  dead,  and  recall  him  even  from  the  grave. 
I  remember  the  amazing  victories  the  Spirit 
of  God  has  won  in  every  nation  under  heaven. 
I  remember  all  this,  and  feel  that  I  never  need 


LIVING   OR  DEAD.  83 

despair.  Yes!  the  very  man  who  now  seems 
most  utterly  dead  in  sins,  may  yet  be  raised  to 
a  new  being,  and  walk  before  God  in  newness 
of  life. 

Why  should  it  not  be  so  ?  The  Holy  Spirit 
is  a  merciful  and  loving  Spirit.  He  turns 
away  from  no  man  because  of  his  vileness. 
He  passes  by  no  one,  because  his  sins  are 
black  and  scarlet. 

There  was  nothing  in  the  Corinthians  that 
He  should  come  down  and  quicken  them. 
Paul  reports  of  them  that  they  were  "  fornica- 
tors, idolaters,  adulterers,  effeminate,  thieves, 
covetous,  drunkards,  revilers,  extortioners." 
"  Such,"  he  says,  "  were  some  of  you."  Yet 
even  them  the  Spirit  made  alive.  "  Ye  are 
washed,"  he  writes,  "  ye  are  sanctified,  ye  are 
justified,  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and 
by  the  Spirit  of  our  God,"  (1  Cor.  vi.  9, 
10,11.) 

There  was  nothing  in  the  Colossians,  that 
He  should  visit  their  hearts.  Paul  tells  us  that 
"  they  walked  in  fornication,  uncleanness,  ni- 
ordinate    affection,    evil    concupiscence,    and 

3 


34  LIVING  OE  DEAD. 

covetousness,  which  is  idolatry."  Yet  them 
also  the  Spirit  quickened.  He  made  them  "  put 
off  the  old  man  with  his  deeds,  and  put  on  the 
new  man  which  is  renewed  in  knowledge  after 
the  image  of  him  that  created  him."  (Coloss. 
iii.  5-9,  10.) 

There  was  nothing  in  Mary  Magdalene  that 
the  Spirit  should  make  her  soul  alive.  Once 
she  had  been  possessed  with  seven  devils. 
Time  was,  if  report  be  true,  she  had  been  a 
woman  proverbial  for  vileness  and  iniquity. 
Yet  even  her  the  Spirit  made  a  new  creature, 
separated  her  from  her  sins,  brought  her  to 
Christ,  made  her  last  at  the  cross,  and  first  at 
the  tomb. 

Never,  never  will  the  Spirit  turn  away  from 
a  soul  because  of  its  corruption.  He  never 
has  done  so ; — He  never  will.  It  is  His  glory 
that  He  has  purified  the  minds  of  the  most  im- 
pure, and  made  them  temples  for  His  own 
abode.  He  may  yet  take  the  worst  man  who 
reads  this  paper,  and  make  him  a  vessel  of 
grace. 

Why  indeed  should  it  not  be  so?    The  Spirit 


LIVING   OE   DEAD.  85 

is  an  Almighty  Spirit.  He  can  change  the 
stony  heart  into  a  heart  of  flesh.  He  can  break 
the  strongest  bad  habits  hke  tow  before  the  fire. 
He  can  make  the  most  difficult  things  seem 
easy,  and  the  mightiest  objections  melt  away 
like  snow  in  spring.  He  can  cut  the  bars  of 
brass,  and  throw  the  gates  of  prejudice  wide- 
open.  He  can  fill  up  every  valley,  and  make 
every  rough  place  smooth.  He  has  done  it 
often,  and  He  can  do  it  again.* 

The  Spirit  can  take  a  Jew, — the  bitterest 
enemy  of  Christianity, — the  fiercest  persecutor 
of  true  believers, — the  strongest  stickler  for 
Pharisaical  notions, — the  most  prejudiced  op- 
poser  of  Gospel  doctrine, — and  turn  that  man 
into  an  earnest  preacher  of  the  very  faith  he 
once  destroyed.  He  has  done  it  already. — He 
did  it  with  the  Apostle  Paul. 

The  Spirit  can  take  a  Roman  Catholic  Monk, 
brought  up  in  the  midst  of  Romish  superstition, 

*  "Such  is  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  regenerate 
men,  and  as  it  were  to  bring  them  forth  anew,  so  that  they 
shall  be  nothing  like  the  men  they  were  before." — Homily 
for  Whitsunday. 


S6 


LIVING  OR   DEAD. 


— trained  from  his  infancy  to  believe  false  doc- 
trine, and  obey  the  Pope, — steeped  to  the  eyes 
in  error, — and  make  that  man  the  clearest  up- 
holder of  justification  by  faith  the  world  ever 
saw.  He  has  done  it  already. — He  did  it  with 
Martin  Luther. 

The  Spirit  can  take  an  English  tinker,  with- 
out learning,  patronage,  or  money, — a  man  at 
one  time  notorious  for  nothing  so  much  as  blas- 
phemy and  swearing — and  make  that  man  write 
a  religious  book,  which  shall  stand  unrivalled 
and  unequalled  in  its  way  by  any  since  the  time 
of  the  Apostles.  He  has  done  so  already. — He 
did  it  with  John  Bunyan,  the  author  of  "  Pil- 
grim's Progress." 

The  Spirit  can  take  a  sailor,  drenched  in 
worldliness  and  sin, — a  profligate  captain  of  a 
slave-ship, — and  make  that  man  a  most  success- 
ful minister  of  the  Gospel, — a  writer  of  letters, 
which  are  a  store-house  of  experimental  reli- 
gion,— and  of  hymns  which  are  known  and 
sung  wherever  English  is  spoken.  He  has 
done  it  already. — He  did  it  with  John  New- 
ton. 


LIVING   OR   DEAD.  37 

All  this  the  Spirit  has  done,  and  much  naore, 
of  which  I  cannot  speak  particularly.  And  the 
arm  of  the  Spirit  is  not  shortened.  His  power 
is  not  decayed.  Such  as  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
is,  such  also  is  the  Spirit,  the  same  yesterday, 
to-day,  and  forever.  He  is  still  doing  won- 
ders, and  will  do  to  the  very  end. 

Once  more  then,  I  say,  I  never  despair  of 
any  man's  soul  being  made  alive.  I  should  if 
it  depended  on  man  himself.  Some  seem  so 
hardened,  I  should  have  no  hope.  I  should  if 
it  depended  on  the  work  of  ministers.  Alas ! 
the  very  best  of  us  are  poor,  weak  creatures. 
But  I  cannot  despair,  when  I  remember  that 
God  the  Spirit  is  the  agent  who  conveys  life 
to  the  soul,  for  I  know  and  am  persuaded  that 
with  him  nothing  is  impossible. 

I  should  not  be  sui-prised  to  hear,  even  in 
this  life,  that  the  hardest  man  I  ever  met,  had 
become  softened,  and  the  proudest  had  taken 
his  place  at  the  feet  of  Jesus  as  a  weaned  child. 

I  shall  not  be  surprised  to  meet  many  on  the 
right  hand  in  the  day  of  judgment,  whom  I 
shall  leave,  when  I  die,  travelling  in  the  broad 


88  LIVING  OR  DEAD. 

way.  I  shall  not  start,  and  say,  "  What !  you 
here!"  I  shall  only  remind  them,  "Was  not 
this  my  word,  when  I  was  yet  among  you, — 
nothing  is  impossible  with  Him  that  quickeneth 
the  dead." 

Does  any  one  who  reads  this  paper  desire  to 
help  the  Church  of  Christ  ?  Then  pray  for  a 
great  outpouring  of  the  Spirit.  He  alone  can 
give  edge  to  sermons,  and  point  to  advice,  and 
power  to  rebukes,  and  cast  down  the  high  walls 
of  sinful  hearts.  It  is  not  better  preaching 
and  finer  writing  that  is  wanted  in  this  day, 
but  more  of  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Does  any  one  who  reads  this  paper  feel  the 
slightest  drawing  towards  God, — the  smallest 
concern  about  his  immortal  soul  ?  Then  flee 
to  that  open  fountain  of  living  waters,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  you  shall  receive  the  Holy 
Ghost.  (John  vii.  39.)  Begin  at  once  to  pray 
for  the  Holy  Spirit.  Think  not  you  are  shut 
up,  and  cut  oft'  from  hope.  The  Holy  Ghost 
is  promised  to  them  that  ask  Him.  His  very 
name  is  the  Spirit  of  promise  and  the  Spirit  of 
life.    Give  Him  no  rest  till  he  comes  down  and 


LIVING   OR   DEAD.  89 

makes  you  a  new  heart.  Cry  mightily  unto  the 
Lord, — say  unto  Him  "Bless  me,  even  me  also, 
— quicken  me,  and  make  me  alive." 

And  now  let  me  wind  up  all  I  have  said,  with 
a  few  words  of  special  application.  I  have 
told  you  what  I  believe  to  be  the  truth  as  it  is 
in  Jesus.  Let  me  try,  by  God's  blessing,  to 
bring  it  home  to  your  heart. 

L  First,  let  me  put  this  question  to  every 
soul  who  reads  this  paper, — "Are  you  living,  or 
are  you  dead  ?" 

Suffer  me,  as  an  ambassador  for  Christ,  to 
press  the  inquiry  on  every  conscience.  There 
are  only  two  ways  to  walk  in,  the  narrow  and 
the  broad; — two  companies  in  the  day  of  judg- 
ment, those  on  the  right  hand  and  those  on  the 
left ;  two  classes  of  people  in  the  professing 
Church  of  Christ,  and  to  one  of  them  you 
must  belong.  Where  are  you?  What  are 
you  ?  Are  you  among  the  living,  or  among 
the  dead? 

I  speak  to  you  yourselves  who  read  this 
paper,  and  to  none  else, — not  to  your  neigh- 
bor,  but   to   you, — not   to   Africans   oi    New 


40  LIVING   OR   DEAD. 

Zealanders,  but  to  you.  I  do  not  ask  whether 
you  are  angels,  or  whether  you  have  the  mind 
of  David  or  Paul, — but  I  do  ask  whether  you 
have  a  well-founded  hope  that  you  are  new 
creatures  in  Christ  Jesus, — I  do  ask  whether 
you  have  reason  to  believe  you  have  put  off  the 
old  man  and  put  on  the  new, — whether  you  are 
conscious  of  ever  having  gone  through  a  real 
spiritual  change  of  heart, — whether,  in  one 
word,  you  are  dead  or  alive  ?* 

Think  not  to  put  me  off  by  saying,  "  You 
were  admitted  into  the  church  by  baptism, — 
you  received  grace  and  the  Spirit  in  that  sacra- 

*  "  All  hangs  upon  this  hinge.  If  this  be  not  done,  ye  are 
undone — undone  eternally.  All  your  profession,  civility, 
privileges,  gifts,  duties,  are  cyphers,  and  signify  nothing,  un- 
less regeneration  be  the  figure  put  before  them." — Swinnocke, 
1660. 

"  Believe  me,  whatsoever  thou  art,  thou  shalt  never  be  saved 
for  being  a  lord,  or  a  knight,  a  gentleman  or  a  ricli  man,  a 
learned  man  or  a  well-spoken  eloquent  man  ;  nor  yet  for 
being  a  Calvinist,  or  a  Lutlieran,  an  Arminian,  an  Anabaptist,  a 
Presbyterian,  an  Independent,  or  a  Protestant,  formally  and 
merely  as  such ; — much  less  for  being  a  Pa])ist,  or  of  any 
such  grossly  deluded  sect :  but  as  a  regenerate  Christian  it 
is  that  thou  must  be  saved,  or  thou  canst  have  no  hope." — 
Richard  Baxter.    1659. 


LIVING   OR   DEAD.  41 

ment, — you  are  alive."  It  shall  not  avail  you. 
Paul  himself  says  of  the  baptized  widow  who 
lives  in  pleasure,  "  She  is  dead  while  she  liveth." 
(1  Tim.  v.  6.)  The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  himself 
tells  the  ciiief  officer  of  the  church  in  Sardis, 
*'  Thou  hast  a  name  that  thou  livest  and  art 
dead."  (Rev.  iii.  1.)  The  life  you  talk  of  is 
nothing  if  it  cannot  be  seen.  Show  it  to  me, 
if  I  am  to  believe  its  existence.  Grace  is  light, 
and  light  will  always  be  discerned.  Grace  is 
salt,  and  salt  will  always  be  tasted.  An  in- 
dwelling of  the  Spirit  that  does  not  show  itself 
by  outward  fruits, — and  a  grace  that  men's  eyes 
cannot  discover,  are  both  to  be  viewed  with 
the  utmost  suspicion.  Believe  me,  if  you  have 
no  other  proof  of  spiritual  life  but  your  baptism, 
you  are  yet  a  dead  soul. 

Think  not  to  tell  me,  "  It  is  a  question  that 
cannot  be  decided,  and  you  call  it  presumptuous 
to  give  an  opinion  in  such  a  matter."  This  is 
a  vain  refuge,  and  a  false  humility.  Spiritual 
life  is  no  such  dim  and  doubtful  thing  as  you 
seem  to  fancy.  There  are  marks  and  evidences 
by  which   its  presence   may  be   discerned  by 


42  LIVING   OR  DEAD. 

those  who  know  the  Bible.  "  We  know,  says 
John,  "  that  we  have  passed  from  death  unto 
Hfe."  (1  John  hi.  14.)  The  exact  time  and 
season  of  that  passage  may  often,  be  hidden  from 
a  man.  The  fact  and  reaUty  of  it  will  seldom 
be  entirely  an  uncertain  thing.  It  was  a  true 
and  beautiful  saying  of  a  Scotch  girl  to  White- 
field,  when  asked  if  her  heart  was  changed, 
"  Something  was  changed,  she  knew ;  it  might 
be  the  world,  it  might  be  her  own  heart ;  but 
there  was  a  great  change  somewhere,  she  was 
quite  sure,  for  everything  seemed  different  to 
what  it  once  did."  Oh!  cease  to  evade  the 
inquiry.  Anoint  your  eyes  with  eye-salve  that 
you  may  see.     Are  you  dead  or  alive  ? 

Think  not  to  reply,  "  You  do  not  know  ; — 
you  allow  it  is  a  matter  of  importance  ; — you 
hope  to  know  some  time  before  you  die ; — you 
mean  to  give  your  mind  to  it  when  you  have  a 
convenient  season ; — but  at  present  you  do  not 
know." 

You  do  not  know!  Yet  heaven  or  hell  is 
wrapped  up  in  this  question.  An  eternity  of 
happiness  or  misery  hinges  upon  your  answer. 


LIVING  OR  DEAD.  43 

You  do  not  leave  your  worldly  affairs  so  un- 
settled. You  do  not  manage  your  earthly 
business  so  loosely.  You  look  far  forward. 
You  provide  against  every  possible  contingency. 
You  insure  life  and  property.  Oh !  why  not 
deal  in  the  same  way  with  your  immortal  soul  ? 

You  do  not  know !  Yet  all  around  you  is 
uncertainty.  You  are  a  poor  frail  worm, — your 
body  fearfully  and  wonderfully  made, — your 
health  liable  to  be  put  out  of  order  in  a  thousand 
ways.  The  next  time  the  daisies  bloom,  it  may 
be  over  your  grave.  All  before  you  is  dark. 
You  know  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth, 
much  less  a  year.  Oh !  why  not  bring  your 
soul's  business  to  a  point  vWthout  delay  ? 

Reader,  begin  the  great  business  of  self- 
examination.  Rest  not  till  you  know  the  length 
and  breadth  of  your  own  state  in  God's  sight. 
Backwardness  in  this  matter  is  an  evil  sign.  It 
springs  from  an  uneasy  conscience.  It  shows 
that  man  thinks  ill  of  his  own  case.  He  feels 
like  a  dishonest  tradesman,  that  his  accounts 
will  not  bear  inquiry.     He  dreads  the  light. 

Reader,  make  sure  work.     Take  nothing  for 


44 


LIVING    OK   DEAD. 


granted.  Do  not  measure  your  condition  by 
that  of  others.  Bring  everything  to  the  measure 
of  God's  word.  A  mistake  about  your  soul  is  a 
mistake  for  eternity.  "  Surely,"  says  Leighton, 
"  they  that  are  not  born  again,  shall  one  day 
wish  they  had  never  been  born." 

Sit  down  this  day  and  think.  Commune  with 
your  own  heart  and  be  still.  Go  to  your  own 
room  and  consider.  Enter  into  your  own  closet, 
or  at  any  rate  contrive  to  be  alone  with  God. 
Look  the  question  fairly,  fully,  honestly  in  the 
face.  How  does  it  touch  you  ?  Are  you  among 
the  living,  or  among  the  dead  ?* 

2.  In  the  second  place,  let  me  speak  in  full 
affection  to  those  who  are  dead. 

What  shall  I  say  to  you  ?  What  can  I  say  ? 
What  words  of  mine  are  likely  to  have  any 
effect  on  your  hearts  ? 

This  I  will  say,  I  mourn  over  your  souls.  I 
do   most   unfeignedly    mourn.     You   may   be 

*  "  If  your  state  be  good,  searching  into  it  will  give  you 
the  comfort  of  it.  If  your  state  be  bad,  searching  into  it  can- 
not make  it  worse ;  nay,  it  is  the  only  way  to  make  it  better ; 
for  conversion  begins  with  conviction." — Bishop  Hopkins. 
1680. 


LIVING   OR   DEAD.  45 

thoughtless  and  unconcerned.  You  may  care 
little  for  what  I  am  saying.  You  may  scarcely 
run  your  eye  over  this  paper,  and  after  reading 
it,  despise  it,  and  return  to  the  world ;  but  you 
cannot  prevent  my  feeling  for  you,  however 
little  you  may  feel  for  yourselves. 

Do  I  mourn  when  I  see  a  young  man  sapping 
the  foundation  of  his  bodily  health,  by  indulging 
his  lusts  and  passions,  sowing  bitterness  for  him- 
self in  his  old  age  ?  Much  more  then  will  I 
mourn  over  your  souls.. 

Do  I  mourn  when  I  see  men  squandering 
away  their  inheritance,  and  wasting  their  prop- 
erty on  trifles  and  follies  ?  Much  more  then 
will  I  mourn  over  your  souls. 

Do  I  mourn  when  I  hear  of  one  drinking  slow 
poisons,  because  they  are  pleasant,  as  the  Chinese 
take  opium, — putting  the  clock  of  his  life  on,  as 
if  it  did  not  go  fast  enough, — inch  by  inch 
digging  his  own  grave  ?  Much  more  then  will 
I  mourn  over  your  souls. 

I  mourn  to  think  of  golden  opportunities 
thrown  away, — of  Christ  rejected, — of  the  blood 
of    atonement   trampled   under   foot, — of   the 


46  LIVING   OR   DEAD. 

Spirit  resisted, — the  Bible  neglected, — heaven 
despised,  and  the  world  put  in  the  place  of  God. 

I  mourn  to  think  of  the  present  happiness 
you  are  missing, — the  peace  and  consolation 
you  are  thrusting  from  you, — the  misery  you 
are  laying  up  in  store  for  yourselves,  and  the 
bitter  waking  up  which  is  yet  to  come. 

Yes !  I  must  mourn.  I  cannot  help  it. 
Others  may  think  it  enough  to  mourn  over 
dead  bodies.  For  my  part,  I  think  there  is  far 
more  cause  to  mourn  over  dead  souls.  The 
children  of  this  world  find  fault  with  us  for  be- 
ing so  grave.  Truly,  when  I  look  at  the  world, 
I  marvel  we  can  ever  smile  at  all. 

Reader,  dear  Reader,  why  will  you  die  ?  Are 
the  wages  of  sin  so  sweet  and  good  that  you 
cannot  give  them  up  ?  Is  the  world  so  satisfy- 
ing that  you  cannot  forsake  it  ?  Is  the  service 
of  Satan  so  pleasant  that  you  and  he  are  never 
to  be  parted  ?  Is  heaven  so  poor  a  thing  that 
it  is  not  worth  seeking?  Is  your  soul  of  so 
little  consequence  that  it  is  not  worth  a 
struggle  to  have  it  saved  ?  Oh  !  turn,  turn,  be- 
fore it  be  too  late.     God  is  not  willing  that  you 


LIVING   OR  DEAD.  47 

should  perish.  "As  I  live,"  He  says,  "I  have 
no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  him  that  dieth." 
Jesus  loves  you,  and  grieves  to  see  your  folly. 
He  wept  over  wicked  Jerusalem,  saying,  "  I 
would  have  gathered  thee,  but  thou  wouldst 
not  be  gathered/'  Surely  if  lost,  your  blood 
will  be  upon  your  own  head.  "Awake,  and 
arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  give  you 
light." 

Believe  me,  believe  me,  true  repentance  is 
that  one  step  that  no  man  ever  repented. 
Thousands  have  said  at  their  latter  end,  "  they 
have  served  God  too  little  :"  no  child  of  Adam 
ever  said,  as  he  left  this  world,  that  he  had 
cared  for  his  soul  too  much.  The  way  of  life 
is  a  narrow  path,  but  the  footsteps  in  it  are  all 
in  one  direction, — not  one  has  ever  come  back 
and  said  it  was  a  delusion.  The  way  of  the 
world  is  a  broad  way,  but  millions  on  millions 
have  forsaken  it,  and  borne  their  testimony  it 
was  a  way  of  sorrow. 

Oh !  that  this  year  might  be  a  year  of  life  to 
your  soul !  Oh !  that  the  Spirit  might  come 
down  upon  your  heart,  and  make  you  a  new 


48  LIVING   OR  DEAD. 

man.  I  ask  it  of  the  Lord,  as  the  prophet  did 
of  old,  "  Come  from  the  four  winds,  O  breath, 
and  breathe  upon  these  slain,  that  they  may 
live."     (Ezek.  xxxvii.  9.) 

3.  Let  me,  in  the  third  place,  speak  to  those 
who  are  living. 

Are  you  indeed  alive  unto  God  ?  Can  you 
say  with  truth,  I  was  dead  and  am  alive  again, 
I  was  blind,  but  now  I  see  ?  Then  suffer  the 
word  of  exhortation,  and  incline  your  heart 
unto  wisdom. 

Are  you  alive  ?  Then  see  that  you  prove  it 
hy  your  actions.  Be  a  consistent  witness.  Let 
your  words,  and  works,  and  ways,  and  tempers 
all  tell  the  same  story.  Let  not  your  life  be  a 
poor  toi'pid  life,  like  that  of  a  tortoise  or  sloth ; 
— let  it  rather  be  an  energetic  stirring  life,  like 
that  of  a  deer  or  bird.  Let  your  grace  shine 
forth  from  all  the  windows  of  your  conversa- 
tion, that  those  who  live  near  you  may  see 
that  the  Spirit  is  abiding  in  your  hearts.  Let 
your  light  not  be  a  dim,  flickering,  uncertain 
flame,  let  it  burn  steadily  like  the  eternal  fire 
on  the  altar,  and  never  become  low.     Let  the 


LIVING   OR  DEAD.  49 

savor  of  your  religion,  like  Mary's  precious 
ointment,  fill  all  the  houses  where  you  dwell. 
Be  an  Epistle  of  Christ,  so  clearly  written, 
penned  in  such  large  bold  characters,  that  lie 
who  runs  may  read  it.  Let  your  Christianity 
be  so  unmistakable, — your  eye  so  single,-your 
heart  so  whole, — your  walk  so  straightforward, 
that  all  who  see  you  may  have  no  doubt  whose 
you  are,  and  whom  you  serve.  Oh!  dear 
reader,  if  we  are  quickened  by  the  Spirit,  no 
one  ought  to  be  able  to  doubt  it.  Our  conver- 
sation should  declare  plainly  that  we  seek  a 
country.  It  ought  not  to  be  necessary  to  tell 
people,  as  in  the  case  of  a  badly  painted  pic- 
ture, "  This  is  a  Christian."  We  ought  not  to 
be  so  sluggish  and  still,  that  men  shall  be 
obliged  to  come  close  and  look  hard,  and  say, 
"  Is  he  dead  or  alive  ?" 

Are  you  alive  ?  Then  see  that  you  prove  it 
hy  your  growth.  Let  the  great  change  within 
become  every  year  more  evident.  Let  your 
light  be  an  increasing  light, — not  like  Joshua's 
sun  in  the  valley  of  Ajalon,  standing  still, — nor 
Hezekiah's  sun.  going  back, — but  ever  shining 

4 


50  LIVING   OR  DEAD. 

more  and  more  to  the  very  end  of  your  days. 
Let  the  image  of  your  Lord,  wherein  you  are 
renewed,  grow  clearer  and  sharper  every 
month.  Let  it  not  be  Hke  the  image  and  super- 
scription on  a  coin,  more  indistinct  and  defaced 
the  longer  it  is  used.  Let  it  rather  become 
more  plain,  the  older  it  is,  and  the  likeness  of 
your  King  stand  out  more  fully.  I  have  no 
confidence  in  a  standing-still  rehgion.  I  do  not 
think  a  Christian  was  meant  to  be  like  an  ani- 
mal, to  grow  to  a  certain  age,  and  then  stop 
growing.  I  believe  rather  he  was  meant  to  be 
like  a  tree,  and  to  increase  more  and  more  in 
strength  and  vigor  all  his  days.  Remember  the 
words  of  the  Apostle  Peter,  "  Add  to  your  faith 
virtue,  and  to  virtue  knowledge,  and  to  knowl- 
edge temperance,  and  to  temperance  brotherly 
kindness,  and  to  brotherly  kindness  charity." 
(2  Peter  i.  5,  6,  7.)  This  is  the  way  to  be  a 
useful  Christian.  Men  will  believe  you  are  in 
earnest  when  they  see  constant  improvement, 
and  perhaps  be  drawn  to  go  with  you.*     This 

*  "  Men  who  are  prejudiced  observe  actions  a  great  deal 
more  than  words." — Leighton. 


LIVING  OR  DEAD.  51 

is  one  way  to  obtain  comfortable  assurance. 
"  So  an  entrance  shall  be  ministered  unto  you 
abundantly."  (2  Peter  i.  11.)  Oh!  as  ever 
you  would  be  useful  and  happy  in  your  re- 
ligion, let  your  motto  be,  "  Forward,  forward/' 
to  your  very  last  day. 

Reader,  I  speak  to  myself  as  well  as  to  you. 
I  say  the  spiritual  life  there  is  in  Christians 
ought  to  be  more  evident.  Our  lamps  want 
trimming, — they  ought  not  to  burn  so  dim.  Our 
separation  from  the  world  should  be  more  dis- 
tinct,— our  walk  with  God  more  decided.  Too 
many  of  us  are  like  Lot,  lingerers, — or  like 
Reuben,  Gad,  and  Manasseh,  borderers, — or  like 
the  Jews  in  Ezra's  time,  so  much  mixed  up 
with  strangers,  that  our  spiritual  pedigree  can- 
not be  made  out.  It  ought  not  so  to  be.  Let 
us  be  up  and  doing.  If  we  live  in  the  Spirit, 
let  us  also  walk  in  the  Spirit.  If  we  really 
have  life,  let  us  make  it  known. 

The  state  of  the  world  demands  it.  The 
latter  days  have  fallen  upon  us.  The  kingdoms 
of  the  earth  are  shaking,  falling,  crashing,  and 
crumbling  away.     (Isaiah  xxiv.  1,  etc.)     The 


52  LIVING   OR  DEAD. 

glorious  kingdom  that  will  never  be  removed  is 
drawing  nigh.  The  King  himself  is  close  at 
hand.  The  children  of  this  world  are  looking 
round  to  see  what  the  saints  are  doing.  God, 
in  His  wonderful  providences,  is  calling  to  us, 
— "  Who  is  on  my  side  ?"  Who  ? — Surely  we 
ought  to  be,  like  Abraham,  very  ready  with  our 
answer,  "  Here  am  I." 

"Ah!"  you  may  say,  "these  are  ancient 
things,  these  are  brave  words.  We  know  it 
all.  But  we  are  weak,  we  have  no  power  to 
think  a  good  thought,  we  can  do  nothing,  we 
must  sit  still."  But  hear  me  a  little.  What  is 
the  cause  of  your  weakness  ?  Is  it  not  because 
the  fountain  of  life  is  little  used  ?  Is  it  not  be- 
cause you  are  resting  on  old  experiences,  and 
not  daily  gathering  new  manna, — daily  drawing 
new  strength  from  Christ?  He  has  left  you 
the  promise  of  the  Comforter.  He  giveth  more 
grace, — grace  upon  grace  to  all  who  ask  it. 
He  came  that  you  might  have  life,  and  have  it 
more  abundantly.  "Open  thy  mouth  wide," 
He  says  this  day,  "  and  I  will  fill  it."  (Psalm 
Ixxxi.  10.) 


LIVING  OR  DEAD.  53 

Reader,  if  you  want  your  spiritual  life  to  be 
more  healthy  and  vigorous,  you  must  just  come 
more  boldly  to  the  throne  of  grace.  You  must 
give  up  this  hanging  back  spirit, — this  hesitation 
about  taking  the  Lord  at  His  own  word.  Doubt- 
less you  are  a  poor  sinner,  and  nothing  at  all. 
The  Lord  knows  it,  and  has  provided  a  store  of 
strength  for  you.  But  you  do  not  draw  upon 
the  store  He  has  provided ;  you  have  not,  be- 
cause you  ask  not.  The  secret  of  your  weak- 
ness is  your  little  faith,  and  little  prayer.  The 
fountain  is  unsealed,  but  you  only  sip  a  few 
drops.  The  bread  of  life  is  before  you,  yet  you 
only  eat  a  few  crumbs.  The  treasury  of  heaven 
is  open,  but  you  only  take  a  few  pence.  O  man 
of  little  faith,  wherefore  do  you  doubt  ? 

Awake  to  know  your  privileges ; — awake, 
and  sleep  no  longer.  Tell  me  not  of  spiritual 
hunger,  and  thirst,  and  poverty,  so  long  as  the 
throne  of  grace  is  before  you.  Say  rather,  that 
you  are  proud,  and  will  not  come  to  it  as  a  poor 
sinner.  Say  rather,  you  are  slothful,  and  will 
not  take  pains  to  get  more. 

Cast  aside  the  grave-clothes  of  pride,  that  still 


54  LIVING  OR  DEAD. 


hang  around  you.     Throw  off  that  Egyptian 
garment  of  indolence,  which  ought  not  to  have 
been  brought  through  the  Red   Sea.      Away 
with  that  unbeHef,  which   ties   and  paralyzes 
your  tongue.     You  are  not  straitened  in  God, 
but  in  yourself.     Come  boldly  to  the  throne  of 
grace,  where  the  Father  is  ever  waiting  to  give, 
and  Jesus  ever   stands  by  Him  to  intercede. 
Come  boldly,  for  you  may,  all  sinful  as  you  are, 
if  you  come  in  the  name  of  the  Great   High 
Priest.      Come   boldly,    and   ask   largely,   and 
you  shall  have  abundant  answers, — mercy  like 
a  river,  and  grace  and  strength  like  a  mighty 
stream.     Come  boldly,  and  you  shall  have  sup- 
plies exceeding  all  you  can  ask  or  think.    Hith- 
erto you  have  asked  nothing.    Ask  and  receive 
that  your  joy  may  be  full. 

Reader,  I  commend  you  to  God,  and  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  While  you  live,  may  you 
live  unto  the  Lord.  When  you  die,  may  you 
die  the  death  of  the  righteous.  And  when  the 
Lord  Jesus  comes,  may  you  be  found  ready,  and 
"  not  be  ashamed  before  Him  at  His  coming." 


€nm\hi  pur  l^np, 

"  GOD   IS   MY   RECORD   HOW  GREATLY   I   LONG   AFTER   YOU   ALL." 

PhUip.  i.  8. 

Beloved  Friends, — 

I  wish  to  write  a  few  words  to  you 
about  your  souls.  I  want  those  souls  to  be 
saved.  And  I  invite  you  all  to  take  the  advice 
I  give  you  to-day,  and  that  is,  to  "  consider  your 
ways." 

I  write  to  you,  because  the  time  is  short. 
The  day  of  grace  is  slipping  away, — the  day  of 
judgment  is  drawing  near, — the  thread  of  life 
is  winding  up, — a  few  more  short  years,  and 
every  soul  of  us  will  have  gone  to  his  own  place, 
— we  shall  each  of  us  be  in  heaven  or  hell ! 

I  cannot  reach  your  hearts,  I  know  well.  It 
is  not  me, — it  needs  the  finger  of  God.  But 
I  can  set  before  you  my  earnest  wishes  for 


56  CONSIDER   YOUR  WAYS. 


every  class  among  you,  and  I  will  do  it,  the 
Lord  being  my  helper.  Bear  with  me  if  I  say 
things  that  sound  sharp  and  hard.  Set  it  down 
to  my  anxiety  for  your  salvation ; — I  mean  it 
all  for  your  good.  I  write  none  other  things 
but  w^hat  I  have  gathered  from  the  Bible,  and 
as  such  I  commend  them  to  your  consciences. 
Consider  what  I  say,  and  the  Lord  give  you 
understanding  in  all  things. 

L  First  of  all  let  me  say,  there  are  very 
many  arnong  you  whom  I  long  to  see  awakened. 
You  are  those  who  have  the  name  of  Chris- 
tians, but  not  the  character  which  should  go 
with  the  name.  God  is  not  King  of  your  hearts. 
You  mind  earthly  things.  I  want  you  to  "  con- 
sider your  ways." 

I  grant  you  may  be  quick  and  clever  about 
the  affairs  of  this  life  :  you  are,  many  of  you, 
good  men  of  business,  good  at  your  daily  work 
good  masters,  good  servants,  good  neighbors, 
good  subjects:  all  this  I  fully  alIow\  But  it  is 
the  eternal  part  of  you  that  I  speak  of;  it  is 
your  never-dying  soul.  And  about  that,  if  a 
man  may  judge  by  the  little  you  do  for  it,  you 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  57 

are  careless,  thoughtless,  reckless,  and  uncon- 
cerned. 

I  do  not  say  that  God  and  salvation  are  sub- 
jects that  never  come  across  your  minds  ; — but 
this  I  say,  they  have  not  the  uppermost  place 
there.  Neither  do  I  say  that  you  are  all  alike 
in  your  lives ; — some  of  you  doubtless  go  farther 
in  sin  than  others ; — but  this  I  say,  you  have 
all  turned  every  one  to  his  own  way,  and  that 
way  is  not  God's.  Brethren,  when  I  look  at 
the  Bible  I  can  come  to  only  one  conclusion 
about  you, — you  are  asleep  about  your  souls. 

You  do  not  see  the  sinfulness  of  sin,  and 
your  own  lost  condition  hy  nature.  You  ap- 
pear to  make  light  of  breaking  God's  com- 
mandments, and  to  care  little  whether  you  live 
according  to  his  law  or  not.  Yet  God  says 
that  sin  is  the  transgression  of  the  law, — that 
His  commandment  is  exceeding  broad, — that 
every  imagination  of  your  natural  heart  is 
evil, — that  sin  is  the  thing  He  cannot  bear.  He 
hates  it, — that  the  wages  of  sin  is  death,  and 
the  soul  that  sinneth  shall  die.  Surely  you  are 
asleep ! 


58  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

Yoit  do  not  see  your  need  of  a  Saviour.  You 
appear  to  think  that  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  get 
to  heaven,  and  that  God  will  of  course  be 
merciful  to  you  at  last  some  way  or  other, 
though  you  do  not  exactly  know  how.  Yet 
God  says  that  He  is  just  and  holy,  and  never 
changes, — that  Christ  is  the  only  way,  and 
none  can  come  unto  the  Father  but  by  Him, — 
that  without  His  blood  there  can  be  no  forgive- 
ness of  sin, — that  a  man  .without  Christ  is  a 
man  without  hope, — that  those  who  would  be 
saved  must  believe  on  Jesus,  and  come  to  Him, 
— and  that  he  who  beiieveth  not  shall  be 
damned.     Surely  you  are  asleep ! 

You  do  not  see  the  necessity  of  holiness. 
You  appear  to  think  it  quite  enough  to  go  on 
as  others  do,  and  live  like  your  neighbors.  And 
as  for  praying  and  Bible-reading,  making  con- 
science of  words  and  actions,  studying  truth- 
fulness and  gentleness,  humility  and  charity, 
and  keeping  separate  from  the  world,  they  are 
things  you  do  not  seem  to  value  at  all.  Yet 
God  says,  that  without  holiness  no  man  shall 
see  the  Lord, — that  there  shall  enter  into  heav- 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  59 

en  nothing  that  defileth,  —  that  His  people 
must  be  a  peculiar  people,  zealous  of  good 
works.     Surely  you  are  asleep ! 

And,  worst  of  all,  you  do  not  appear  to  feel 
your  danger.  You  walk  on  with  your  eyes 
shut,  and  seem  not  to  know  that  the  end  of 
your  path  is  hell.  Some  dreamers  fancy  they 
are  rich  when  they  are  poor,  or  full  when  they 
are  hungry,  or  well  when  they  are  sick,  and 
awake  to  find  it  all  a  mistake.  And  this  is  the 
way  that  many  of  you  dream  about  your  souls ; 
you  flatter  yourselves  you  will  have  peace,  and 
there  will  be  no  peace ;  you  fancy  that  you 
are  all  right,  and  in  truth  you  will  find  that  you 
are  all  wrong.     Surely  you  are  asleep ! 

Dear  Brethren,  what  can  I  say  to  arouse 
you  ?  Your  souls  are  in  awful  peril :  without 
a  mighty  change  they  will  be  lost.  When  shall 
that  change  once  be  ? 

You  are  dying,  and  not  ready  to  depart ; — 
you  are  going  to  be  judged,  and  not  prepared 
to  meet  God ; — your  sins  are  not  forgiven, 
your  persons  are  not  justified,  your  hearts  are 
not  renewed.     Heaven  itself  would  be  no  hap- 


60  CONSIDER   YOUR   WAYS. 

piness  to  you  if  you  got  there,  for  the  Lord  of 
heaven  is  not  your  friend.  What  pleases  Him 
does  not  please  you.  What  He  dislikes  gives 
you  no  pain.  His  word  is  not  your  counsellor. 
His  day  is  not  your  delight.  His  law  is  not 
your  guide.  You  care  little  for  hearing  of 
Hitn.  You  know  nothing  of  speaking  with 
Him.  To  be  forever  in  His  company  w^ould 
be  a  thinfT  vou  could  not  endure ;  and  the 
society  of  saints  and  angels  would  be  a  weari- 
ness, and  not  a  joy.  At  the  rate  you  live  at, 
the  Bible  might  never  have  been  written,  and 
Christ  might  never  have  died,  the  Apostles 
were  foolish,  the  New  Testament  Christians 
madmen,  and  the  salvation  of  the  Gospel  a 
needless  thing.  Oh !  awake,  and  sleep  no 
more ! 

Think  not  to  say.  You  cannot  believe  your 
case  is  so  bad,  or  the  danger  so  great,  or  God 
so  particular.  I  answer,  The  devil  has  been 
putting  this  lying  delusion  into  people's  hearts 
for  nearly  six  thousand  years.  It  has  been  his 
grand  snare  ever  since  the  day  he  said  to  Eve, 
"  Ye  shall  not  surely  die."    Do  not  be  so  weak 


CO^^SIDEE   YOUR  WAYS.  61 

as  to  be  taken  in  by  it.  God  never  failed  yet 
to  punish  sin,  and  He  never  will.  He  never 
failed  to  make  his  word  good,  and  you  will 
find  this  to  your  cost  one  day,  except  you  re- 
pent. 

And  think  not  to  sav,  You  are  a  member  of 
Christ's  Church,  and  therefore  feel  no  doubt 
you  are  as  good  a  Christian  as  others.  I 
answer,  This  will  only  make  your  case  worse, 
if  you  have  nothing  else  to  plead.  You  may 
be  written  down  and  rea;istered  amonor  God's 
people  ;  you  may  be  reckoned  in  the  number 
of  the  saints  ;  you  may  sit  for  years  under  the 
sound  of  the  Gospel ;  you  may  use  holy  forms, 
and  even  come  to  the  Lord's  table  at  regular 
seasons  ; — and  still,  with  all  this,  unless  sin  be 
hateful,  and  Christ  precious,  and  your  heart  a 
temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  you  will  prove  in 
the  end  no  better  than  a  lost  soul.  A  holy 
calling  will  never  save  an  unholy  man. 

And  think  not  to  say.  You  have  been  bap- 
tized, and  so  feel  confident  you  are  born  of 
God,  and  have  His  grace  within  you.  I  an- 
swer, You  have  none  of  the  marks  which  St. 


62  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

John  has  told  me  in  his  first  Epistle,  distinguish 
such  a  person.  I  do  not  see  you  confessing 
that  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  —  overcoming  the 
world,  —  not  committing  sin,  —  loving  your 
brother, — doing  righteousness — keeping  your- 
self from  the  wicked  one.  How  then  can  I 
believe  that  you  are  born  of  God  ?  If  God 
were  your  Father  you  would  love  Christ :  if 
you  were  God's  son  you  would  be  led  by  His 
Spirit.  I  want  stronger  evidences.  Show  me 
some  repentance  and  faith  ;  show  me  a  life 
hid  with  Christ  in  God  ;  show  me  a  spiritual 
and  sanctified  conversation  :  —  these  are  the 
fruits  I  want  to  see,  if  I  am  to  believe  you 
have  the  root  of  the  matter  in  you,  and  are 
a  living  branch  of  the  true  vine.  But  with- 
out these  your  baptism  will  only  add  to  your 
condemnation. 

Beloved  Brethren,  I  speak  strongly,  because 
1  feel  deeply.  Time  is  too  short,  life  is  too 
uncertain,  to  allow  of  standing  on  ceremony. 
At  the  risk  of  offending,  I  use  great  plainness 
of  speech.  I  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  hear- 
ing any  of  you  condemned  in  the  great  day 


CONSIDER  YOUR   WAYS.  63 


of  assize;  —  of  seeing  any  of  your  faces  in 
the  crowd  on  God's  left  hand,  among  those 
who  are  helpless,  hopeless,  and  beyond  the 
reach  of  mercy.  I  cannot  bear  such  thoughts, 
—they  grieve  me  to  the  heart.  Before  the 
day  of  grace  is  past,  and  the  day  of  vengeance 
begins,  I  call  upon  you  to  open  your  eyes 
and  repent.  Oh  !  consider  your  ways  and  be 
wise.     Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  why  will  ye  die  ? 

This  day,  as  the  ambassador  of  Christ,  I  pray 
you  to  be  reconciled  to  God.     The  Lord  Jesus 

who  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners, 

Jesus,  the  appointed  Mediator  between  God 
and  man, — Jesus,  who  loved  us,  and  gave  Him- 
self for  us, — Jesus  sends  you  all  a  message  of 
peace ;  He  says,  "  Come  unto  me." 

"Come"  is  a  precious  word  indeed,  and 
ought  to  draw  you.  You  have  sinned  against 
heaven, — heaven  has  not  sinned  against  you ; 
yet,  see  how  the  first  step  towards  peace  is 
on  heaven's  side,— it  is  the  Lord's  message, 
"  Come  unto  me." 

"  Come"  is  a  word  of  merciful  invitation. 
Does  it  not  seem  to  say,  "  Sinner,  I  am  waiting 


64  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

for  you,  I  am  not  willino;  that  any  should 
perish,  but  that  all  should  come  to  repentance. 
As  I  live,  I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of 
him  that  dieth.  I  would  have  all  men  saved, 
and  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
Judgment  is  my  strange  work, — I  delight  in 
mercy.  I  ofier  the  water  of  life  to  every  one 
who  will  take  it.  I  stand  at  the  door  of  your 
heart  and  knock.  For  long  time  I  have  spread 
out  my  hands  to  you.  I  wait  to  be  gracious. 
There  is  yet  room  in  my  Father's  house.  My 
lonp'-sufTerincr  waits  for  more  of  the  children 
of  men  to  come  to  the  mercy-seat  before  the 
last  trumpet  is  blown, — for  more  wanderers  to 
return  before  the  door  is  closed  forever.  Oh ! 
sinner,  come  to  me." 

"  Come"  is  a  word  of  promise  and  encour- 
agement. Does  it  not  seem  to  say,  "  Sinner, 
I  have  gifts  ready  for  you  ;  I  have  something 
of  everlasting  importance  to  bestow  upon  your 
soul ;  I  have  received  gifts  for  men,  even  for 
the  rebellious  ;  I  have  a  free  pardon  for  the 
most  ungodly  ;  a  full  fountain  for  the  most 
unclean ;  a  white  garment  for  the  most  defiled  ; 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  65 


a  new  heart  for  the  most  hardened ;  heahng 
for  the  broken-hearted ;  rest  for  the  heavy- 
laden  ;  joy  for  those  that  mourn.  Oh  !  sinner, 
it  is  not  for  nothing  that  I  invite  you!  All 
things  are  ready, — come,  come  unto  me." 

^Beloved  Brethren,  hear  the  voice  of  the  Son 
of  Grod.  See  that  ye  refuse  not  Him  that 
speaketh.  Come  away  from  sin,  which  can 
never  give  you  real  pleasure,  and  will  be 
bitter  at  the  last.  Come  out  from  a  world, 
which  will  never  satisfy  you.  Come  unto 
Christ.  Come  with  all  your  sins,  however 
many  and  however  great, — however  far  you 
may  have  gone  from  God,  and  however  pro- 
voking your  conduct  may  have  been.  Come 
as  you  are, — unfit,  unmeet,  unprepared  as  you 
may  think  yourself,— you  will  gain  no  fitness 
by  delay.  Come  at  once,  come  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ. 

How  indeed  shall  you  escape,  if  you  neglect 
so  great  salvation?  Where  will  you  appear 
if  you  make  light  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  and 
do  despite  to  the  Spirit  of  grace  ?  It  is  a 
fearful  thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  livino- 

5 


66  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

God,  but  never  so  fearful  as  when  men  fall 
from  under  the  Gospel.  The  saddest  road  to 
hell  is  that  which  runs  under  the  pulpit,  past 
the  Bible,  and  through  the  midst  of  warnings 
and  invitations.  Oh !  beware,  lest  like  Israel 
at  Kadesh,  you  mourn  over  your  mistake 
when  it  is  too  late  ;  or  like  Judas  Iscariot,  iind 
out  your  sin  when  there  is  no  space  for  re- 
pentance. 

Arise,  beloved  Brethren,  and  call  upon  the 
Lord.  Be  not  like  Esau:  sell  not  eternal 
blessings  for  the  things  of  to-day.  Surely 
the  time  past  may  suffice  you  to  have  been 
careless  and  prayerless.  Godless  and  Christless, 
worldly  and  earthly-minded:  surely  the  time 
to  come  may  be  given  to  your  soul. 

Pray,  I  beseech  you,  that  you  may  be  en- 
abled to  put  off  the  old  ways  and  the  old 
habits,  and  that  you  may  become  new  men.  I 
yield  to  none  in  wishes  for  your  happiness, 
and  my  best  wish  is  that  you  may  be  made 
new  creatures  in  Christ  Jesus.  This  is  a 
better  thing  than  riches,  or  health,  or  honor, 
or  learning.     A  man  may  get  to  heaven  with- 


CONSIDER   YOUR   WAYS.  67 

out  these,  but  he  cannot  get  there  without 
conversion.  Verily  if  you  die  without  having 
been  born  again,  you  had  far  better  never  have 
been  born  at  all. 

II.  The  second  thing  I  have  to  say  is  this, 
— there  are  many  among  you  wlioin  I  long  to 
see  decided  followers  of  Christ. 

You  are  those  who  are  wavering  and  halt- 
ing between  two  opinions.  You  seem  not  to 
have  made  up  your  minds.  You  appear  to 
stand  in  doubt  which  is  the  true  way  of  serv- 
ing God,  and  which  the  false.  One  day  a  man 
might  think  you  loved  Christ,  —  another  he 
might  suppose  you  did  not  care  for  Him  at  all. 
You  are  like  the  twilight, — I  cannot  call  you 
darkness, — and  yet  you  are  not  light  in  the 
Lord.  There  is  so  much  right  about  you,  that 
I  cannot  speak  to  you  among  the  openly  un- 
godly ;  and  yet  there  is  so  much  wrong  about 
you,  that  without  a  change  you  will  never  be 
saved.    I  want  you  also  to  ''  consider  your  ways." 

Wavering  Brethren,  of  all  classes  in  the 
Church,  you  are  the  most  difficult  to  address : 
and  no  state  is  so  dangerous  as  yours. 


68  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

You  see  something  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  its 
awful  consequences,  but  not  all.  You  have 
thoughts  about  judgment  and  hell,  and  you 
w^ould  like  to  avoid  them; — but  vou  never 
really  try. 

You  see  something  of  the  blessedness  of 
heaven,  but  not  all.  Its  peace,  and  rest,  and 
joy,  and  happiness,  are  things  that  come  across 
your  mind ; — but  you  never  really  seek  to  ob- 
tain them. 

There  have  been  times  when  you  have  ap- 
peared convinced  ;  there  seemed  to  be  much 
melting  and  softening  going  on  in  your  heart. 
You  have  been  at  Sinai,  and  been  alarmed. 
You  have  been  at  Bochim,  and  w^ept.  You 
have  been  at  Calvary,  and  had  pricking  of 
conscience.  And  yet  those  times  have  passed 
away,  and  your  old  things  still  remain. 

You  have  often  looked  like  men  going  on 
pilgrimage  : — you  seemed  ready  to  come  out 
from  the  world ; — and  then  you  have  suddenly 
stopped,  and  gone  no  further. 

You  have  done  many  things  that  are  good, 
— but  unhappily,  like  Herod,  you  leave  many 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  69 

undone.  You  give  up  many  habits  that  are 
bad,  and  yet  you  keep  sufficient  to  make  it 
plain  you  have  no  true  grace  in  your  hearts. 

Oh !  wavering  Brethren,  what  can  be  done 
for  your  soul  ? — I  am  distressed  for  you. 

Many  of  you  are  so  like  true  Christians,  that 
the  difference  can  hardly  be  seen.  You  are  no 
opposers  of  true  religion.  You  have  no  ob- 
jection to  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel,  and 
often  take  pains  to  hear  it.  You  can  enjoy  the 
company  of  believers,  and  appear  to  take  pleas- 
ure in  their  conversation  and  experience.  You 
can  even  talk  of  the  things  of  God  as  if  you 
valued  them.     All  this  you  can  do. 

And  yet  there  is  nothing  real  about  your  re- 
ligion,— no  real  witnessing  against  sin, — no  real 
separation  from  the  world, — no  peculiarity, — ■ 
no  warfare.  You  can  wear  Christ's  uniform 
in  the  time  of  peace,  but,  like  the  tribe  of 
Reuben,  you  are  Vv^anting  in  the  day  of  bat- 
tle. Times  of  trouble  prove  that  you  were 
never  really  on  the  Rock.  Times  of  sickness 
and  danger  bring  out  the  rottenness  of  your 
foundations.     Times  of  temptation  and  perse- 


70  CONSIDER   YOUR  WAYS. 

cution  discover  the  emptiness  of  your  profes- 
sions. There  is  no  dependence  to  be  placed 
upon  you. — Christians  in  the  company  of 
Christians,  you  are  worldly  in  the  company  of 
the  worldly.  One  week  I  shall  find  you  read- 
ing spiritual  books,  as  if  you  were  all  for  eter- 
nity,— another  I  shall  hear  of  your  mixing  in 
some  earthly  folly,  as  if  you  only  thought  of 
time.  And  so  you  go  on,  beating  about  in  sight 
land,  but  never  seeming  to  make  up  your  mind 
to  come  into  harbor;  showing  plainly  that  you 
have  an  idea  of  the  way  of  life,  but  not  de- 
cided enough  to  act  upon  your  knowledge. 

O  !  wavering  Brethren,  what  can  be  done  for 
you  ?  I  tell  you  solemnly,  I  tremble  for  your 
souls.  In  your  present  course  you  will  never 
taste  peace, — you  will  go  on  without  comfort, 
and  go  off  without  hope. 

Truly  you  are  a  wonder  in  creation.  You 
stand  alone.  The  devil  wonders  at  you,  how 
you  can  see  so  much  of  the  way  to  heaven, 
and  not  walk  in  it.  The  angels  wonder  at  you, 
how  you  can  know  so  much  of  the  Gospel,  and 
yet  stand  still.     Ministers  wonder  at  you,  how 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  71 

you  can  march  up  to  the  borders  of  the  prom- 
ised land,  and  yet  not  strive  to  enter  in.  Be- 
lievers wonder  at  you,  how  you  can  taste  so 
much  of  the  good  word  of  God,  and  yet  not  de- 
termine to  eat  and  live  forever.  Take  heed, 
lest  at  last  you  prove  a  wonder  to  yourselves. 

Wavering  Brethren,  let  me  ask  you  a  simple 
question.  How  long  do  you  mean  to  continue 
as  you  are  ?  When  do  you  intend  to  cease 
from  being  almost  Christians,  and  become  de- 
cided ?  When  do  you  mean  to  leave  Agrippa, 
and  join  Paul  ?  You  know  in  your  heart 
and  conscience  you  are  not  yet  saved, — you 
have  no  oil  in  your  lamps, — you  have  not  the 
marks  of  Christ's  people, — you  are  not  true 
saints.     You  dare  not  deny  what  I  say. 

When  then  do  you  propose  to  alter  ?  What 
is  the  thing  that  you  are  waiting  for?  Oh! 
turn  not  away  from  my  question  :  sit  down  and 
answer  it  if  you  can. 

Are  you  waiting  till  you  are  sick  and  un- 
well? Surely  you  will  not  tell  me  that  is  a 
convenient  season.  When  your  body  is  racked 
with  pain, — when  your  mind  is  distracted  with 


72  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

all  kinds  of  anxious  thoughts, — when  calm  re- 
flection is  almost  impossible, — is  this  a  time  for 
beginning  the  mighty  work  of  acquaintance 
with  God  ?     Do  not  talk  so. 

Are  you  waiting  till  you  are  old?  Surely 
you  have  not  considered  what  you  say.  You 
will  serve  Christ  when  your  members  are  worn 
out  and  decayed,  and  your  hands  unfit  to  work. 
You  wall  go  to  Him  when  your  mind  is  weak, 
and  your  memory  failing.  You  will  give  up 
the  world  when  you  cannot  keep  it.  You  will 
set  your  affections  on  things  above,  when  you 
find  nothing  to  set  them  on  in  things  below.  Is 
this  your  plan  ?     Beware,  lest  you  insult  God. 

Are  you  waiting  till  you  have  leisure  ?  And 
when  do  you  expect  to  have  more  time  than 
you  have  now  ?  Every  year  you  live  seems 
shorter  than  the  last :  you  find  more  to  think 
of,  or  to  do,  and  less  power  and  opportunity  to 
do  it.  And,  after  all,  you  know  not  whether 
you  may  live  to  see  another  year.  Boast  not 
yourself  of  to-morrow, — now  is  the  time. 

Are  you  waiting  till  your  heart  is  perfectly 
Jit  and  ready  ?     That  will  never  be.     It  will 


CONSIDER   YOUR   WAYS.  73 

always  be  corrupt  and  sinful, — a  bubbling 
fountain,  full  of  evil.  You  will  never  make 
it  like  a  pure  white  sheet  of  paper,  that  you 
can  take  to  Jesus  and  say,  "  Here  I  am, 
Lord,  ready  to  have  thy  law  written  on  my 
heart."     Delay  not.     Better  begin  as  you  are. 

Are  you  waiting  till  the  devil  will  let  you 
come  to  Christ  without  trouble  ?  That  will 
never  be.  Satan  never  gives  up  a  single  soul, 
without  a  struggle.  If  you  would  be  saved 
you  must  fight  for  it.  Stand  not  another 
day.     Arise  and  go  forward  at  once. 

Are  you  waiting  till  there  is  no  cross  to  he 
home  ?  That  will  never  be.  So  long  as  sin  is 
our  enemy,  and  our  own  bodies  weak  and 
clogged  by  it,  so  long  we  must  endure  hard- 
ness, if  we  would  be  good  soldiers  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Go  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord  God, 
and  you  shall  overcome.  If  there  is  no  cross 
there  will  be  no  crown. 

Are  you  waiting  till  all  around  you  hecome 
decided  ?  That  will  never  be.  Heaven  only 
is  the  place  where  all  are  saints.  Earth  is  the 
place  where  sin  reigns,  and  God's  people  are  a 


74  CONSIDEK  YOUR  WAYS. 

little  flock.  You  must  be  content  to  journey 
alone,  and  swim  against  the  stream.  *'  Narrow 
is  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  lite,  and  few  there 
be  that  find  it."  Tarry  not  for  friends  and 
neighbors, — see  that  you  are  among  the  few. 

Are  you  waiting  till  the  gate  is  wide  ?  That 
will  never  be.  It  will  not  alter, — it  is  not  elas- 
tic,— it  will  not  stretch.  It  is  wide  enough  for 
the  chief  of  sinners,  if  he  comes  in  a  humble 
and  self-abased  spirit.  But  if  there  is  anything 
you  are  resolved  not  to  give  up,  you  will  never, 
with  all  your  struggling,  get  in.  Lay  aside 
every  weight, — enter  before  the  door  is  shut  for- 
ever. 

And  are  you  waiting  because  some  few 
Christians  are  inconsistent,  and  some  pro- 
fessors  fall  away  ?  Their  folly  is  no  excuse 
for  you.  Their  sin  will  not  justify  your  delay. 
Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  "  What  is 
that  to  thee,  follow  thou  me." 

Oh !  wavering  Brethren,  are  not  your  ex- 
cuses broken  reeds — webs  that  will  not  cover 
you — wood,  hay,  and  stubble,  that  will  not 
abide  the  fire  ?     Are  not  your  reasonings  and 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  75 

defences  unprofitable  and  vain  ?  Be  honest, — • 
confess  the  truth. 

Turn  not  away  from  gopd  advice.  I  fear 
lest  the  time  should  come  when  you  will  seek 
to  enter  in,  and  not  be  able.  This  day  I  charge 
you,  throw  away  indecision, — wait  no  longer, 
become  decided  for  Christ. 

No  man  is  wise  till  he  is  decided.  What 
can  be  more  foolish,  than  to  live  on  in  uncer- 
tainty ?  What  can  be  more  childish,  than  to 
appear  not  to  know  what  is  truth  ? — to  have 
two  ways  set  before  us,  and  not  to  be  able  to 
decide  which  is  right  ?  Christ  is  on  one  side, 
and  the  world  on  the  other, — the  Bible  is  on 
the  right  hand,  and  man's  opinion  on  the  left : 
is  it  not  a  wonderful  and  horrible  thing  that 
you  can  think  on  these  things,  and  yet  for  a 
moment  doubt?  Whether  you  believe  the 
Gospel  true  or  false,  your  present  position  is 
manifestly  wrong.  If  it  be  true,  you  do  not  go 
far  enough, — if  it  be  false,  you  go  too  far.  Oh ! 
be  decided, — consider  your  ways  and  be  wise. 

No  man  is  safe  till  he  is  decided.  All  are  in 
peril  of  ruin  who  are  not  real  followers  of 


76  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

Christ, — who  are  not  converted  and  made 
children  of  God. 

Wavering  Brethren,  you  fancy  there  is  a 
middle  path  between  conversion  and  uncon- 
version.  You  are  mistaken.  There  seems  to 
be,  the  devil  tells  you  there  is,  but  in  reality 
there  is  no  such  thing.  There  are  but  two 
kingdoms, — Christ's  kingdom,  and  Satan's  ; 
there  is  no  neutral  ground  between : — two 
parties,  believers  and  unbelievers ;  there  is  no 
third.     Consider  to  which  you  belong. 

Some  people,  1  know,  will  say  you  are  in  a 
hopeful  state.  I  dare  not  say  so,  while  you 
stand  still.  It  would  be  flattery,  and  not  charity. 
I  tell  you  rather,  your  state  is  dangerous  in  the 
extreme.  You  have  enough  religion  to  satisfy 
you  in  a  way, — you  are  not  as  other  men,  care- 
less, profligate,  and  the  like, — but  still  you 
have  not  enough  religion  to  do  you  good.  You 
have  not  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  and  are  none 
of  His. 

It  is  small  comfort  to  my  mind  to  hear  that 
you  are  not  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God,  if 
you  stop  there.     It  wants  another  step  to  make 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  77 


you  safe,  and  without  that,  all  the  rest  is  use- 
less. I  doubt  not  many  were  close  to  the  door 
of  the  ark,  when  the  flood  came,  but  all  alike 
were  drowned  who  were  not  inside.  Many,  I 
dare  say,  came  up  to  the  gates  of  the  cities  of 
refuge,  but  none  escaped  the  destroyer  except 
those  who  really  entered  in.  Be  decided.  This 
is  the  only  way  to  be  safe. 

And  no  man  is  quite  happy  in  his  religion 
till  he  is  decided.     There  is  little  peace  so  long 
as  you  are  halting  and  irresolute.      You  please 
no  one  altogether.     Jesus  has  no  consolations 
for  you  :  He  will  have  all  your  heart  or  none. 
The  world  is  not  satisfied  with  you :  they  can- 
not understand  your  behavior.     True  Chris- 
tians dare  not  comfort  you :  they  can  only  look 
on  you  with  suspicion  and  mistrust.     You  are 
like  the   Samaritans   of   old,   who   served   the 
Lord  and  their  own  idols  at  the  same  time ; 
they  formed  a  middle  class  between   the  Jews 
and  Gentiles,  and  yet  were  friends  with  neither ; 
— they  were  too  much  Gentiles  for  the  Jews, 
and  too  much  Jews  for  the  Gentiles.     This  is 
just  your  case.     You  are  trying  that  which 


78  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

cannot  be  done ;  you  are  trying  to  serve  two 
masters,  and  no  wonder  you  are  ill  at  ease. 

Wavering  Brethren,  for  your  own  peace 
sake,  I  invite  you  to  choose  the  better  part. 
Gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind.  Quit  you  like 
men.  Be  strong.  God's  conduct  in  punishing 
sin  has  ever  been  decided.  Satan's  conduct  in 
tempting  sinners  has  ever  been  decided.  Why 
then  are  you  not  decided  too  ? 

Cry  mightily  unto  the  Lord,  that  you  may 
be  enabled  to  leave  behind  your  wavering 
ways.  Resolve  that,  by  His  grace,  you  will  be 
true  soldiers,  real  servants,  men  of  God  indeed ; 
— that  you  will  never  rest  until  you  know  in 
whom  you  believe.  Cease  to  halt  between  two 
opinions.  Let  your  eyes  look  right  on.  Cast 
loose  your  hold  on  the  world.  Lay  hold  on 
Christ,  and  commit  yourselves  to  Him.  No 
man  ever  came  back  from  the  narrow  way, 
and  reported  that  he  was  sorry  for  his  choice. 
Thousands  have  lingered  away  life,  as  you  are 
doing  now,  and  have  found  too  late,  that  the 
fruit  of  indecision  is  eternal  sorrow. 

llL    The  last  thing  I  have  to  say  is  this. 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  79 


there  are   some  true    Christians  among  you 
whom  I  long  to  see  more  holy  and  more  bright. 
You  are  those  who  have  found  out  your  own 
sinfdness  and  lost  estate,  and  really  believe  on 
Jesus  for  the  saving  of  your  souls.     The  eyes 
of  your  understanding  have  been  opened  by  the 
Spirit, — He  has  led  you  to  Christ,  and  you  are 
new  men.     You  have  peace  with  God.     Sin  is 
no  longer  pleasant  to  you, — the  world  has  no 
longer  the  first  place  in  your  heart, — all  things 
are  become  new.    You  have  ceased  from  trust- 
ing in  your  own  works.     You  are  willing  to 
stand  before  the  bar  of  God,  and  rest  your  soul 
on  the  finished  work  of  Him  who  died  for  the 
ungodly.     This  is  all  your  confidence,  that  you 
have  washed  your  robes  and  made  them  white 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.    I  thank  God  heartily 
for  what  He  hath  wrought  in  your  souls,  but  I 
ask  you  also  to  consider  your  ways. 

Believing  Brethren,  I  write  to  you  about 
your  sanctification.  There  are  those  who  think 
you  are  a  class  in  our  congregations  that  re- 
quire little  writing  to :  you  are  within  the  pale 
of  salvation— you  may  be  almost  let  alone.     I 


80 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 


cannot  see  it.  I  believe  you  need  your  minis- 
ter's care  and  exhortation  as  much  as  any,  if 
not  more.  I  believe  that  on  your  growth  in 
grace  and  holiness,  not  merely  your  own  com- 
fort, but  the  salvation  of  many  souls,  under 
God,  depends.  I  believe  that  the  converted 
members  of  a  church  should  be  preached  to, 
spoken  to,  warned,  counselled,  far  more  than 
they  are.  You  need  many  words  of  direction. 
You  are  still  in  the  wilderness.  You  have  not 
crossed  Jordan.     You  are  not  yet  at  home. 

I  see  Paul  beseeching  the  Thessalonians  that 
as  they  have  received  of  Him,  how  they  ought 
to  walk  and  please  God,  so  they  would  abound 
more  and  more.  I  see  him  warning  them  not 
to  sleep,  as  others  do,  but  to  watch  and  be 
sober.  I  see  Peter  telling  believers  to  give 
diligence  to  make  their  calling  and  election 
sure ;  to  go  on  adding  one  grace  to  another ;  to 
grow  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  Christ. 
I  wish  to  follow  in  their  steps.  I  would  remind 
you  "  that  this  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your 
sanctification,"  and  I  ask  you  to  make  it  plain 
it  is  your  will  too.    You  were  not  chosen  out  of 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  81 


the  world  to  go  to  sleep,  but  that  you  might  be 
holy.  You  were  not  called  of  God  that  you 
might  walk  worthy  of  your  calling.  Recollect 
those  solemn  words,  "He  that  lacketh  these 
things  is  blind  and  cannot  see  afar  off,  and  hath 
forgotten  that  he  was  purged  from  his  old  sins." 
(2  Peter  i.  9.) 

Why  do  I  say  these  things  ?  Is  it  because  I 
think  you  do  not  know  them  ?  No :  but  I  want  to 
stir  you  up  by  putting  you  in  remembrance.  Is 
it  because  I  wish  to  discourage  the  poor  in  spirit, 
and  make  the  heart  of  the  righteous  sad  ?  No 
indeed  :  I  would  not  willingly  do  this.  Is  it 
because  I  think  true  Christians  can  ever  fall 
away  ?  God  forbid  you  should  suppose  I  mean 
such  a  thing. 

But  I  say  what  I  say  because  /  am  jealous 
for  my  Lord's  honor.  I  wish  the  elect  of 
God  to  be  indeed  a  holy  nation,  and  the  sons 
of  adoption  to  live  as  becomes  the  children  of  a 
King.  I  want  those  who  are  light  in  the  Lord 
to  walk  as  children  of  light,  shining  more  and 
more  every  day. 

And  I  say  it  for  the  good  of  the  world.    You 
6 


82  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

are  almost  the  only  book  that  worldly  people 
read.  Surely  your  lives  should  be  epistles  of 
Christ,  so  plain  that  he  who  runs  may  read 
them.  The  world  cares  little  for  doctrine, — 
the  world  knows  nothing  of  experience, — but 
the  world  can  understand  a  close  walk  with 
God. 

And  not  least  I  say  it  because  of  the  times 
you  live  in.  I  write  it  down  deliberately,  I  be- 
lieve there  never  were  so  many  lukewarm  saints 
as  there  are  now; — there  never  was  a  time  in 
which  a  low  and  carnal  standard  of  Christian 
behavior  so  much  prevailed  ;  —  there  never 
were  so  many  babes  in  grace  in  the  family  of 
God, — so  many  who  seem  to  sit  still,  and  live 
on  old  experience, — so  many  who  appear  to 
have  need  of  nothing,  and  to  be  neither  hun- 
gering nor  thirsting  after  righteousness,  as  at  the 
present  time.  I  write  this  with  all  sorrow.  It 
may  be  too  painful  to  please  some.  But  I  ask 
you,  as  in  God's  sight,  is  it  not  true  ? 

There  is  a  generation  of  Christians  in  this 
age  who  grieve  me  to  the  heart.  They  make 
my  blood  run  cold.    I  cannot  understand  them. 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  83 

For  anything  that  man's  eye  can  see,  they 
make  no  progress.  They  never  seem  to  get  on. 
Years  roll  on,  and  they  are  just  the  same, — the 
same  besetting  sins,  the  same  infirmities  of  dis- 
position, the  same  weakness  in  trial,  the  same 
chilliness  of  heart,  the  same  apathy,  the  same 
faint  resemblance  to  Christ, — but  no  new 
knowledge,  no  increased  interest  in  the  king- 
dom, no  freshness,  no  new  strength,  no  new 
fruits,  as  if  they  grew.  Are  they  not  forgetting 
that  growth  is  the  proof  of  life, — that  even  the 
yew-tree  grows,  and  the  snail  and  the  sloth 
move  ?  Are  they  not  forgetting  how  awfully 
far  a  man  may  go,  and  yet  not  be  a  true  Chris- 
tian ?  He  may  be  like  a  waxwork  figure,  the 
very  image  of  a  believer,  and  yet  not  have 
within  him  the  breath  of  God  : — he  may  have 
a  name  to  live,  and  be  dead  after  all. 

Believing  Brethren,  these  are  the  reasons 
why  I  write  so  strongly.  I  want  your  Christi- 
anity to  be  unmistakable.  I  want  you  all  to 
grow  really,  and  to  do  more  than  others.  Let 
us  all  henceforth  remember  Sardis  and  Laodi- 
cea, — let  us  resolve  to  be  more  holy  and  more 


84  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

bright.  Let  us  bury  our  idols.  Let  us  put 
away  all  strange  gods.  Let  us  cast  out  the  old 
leaven.  Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight  and 
besetting  sin.  Let  us  cleanse  ourselves  from 
all  filthiness  of  flesh  and  spirit,  and  perfect  ho- 
liness in  the  fear  of  God.  Let  us  renew  our 
covenant  with  our  beloved  Lord.  Let  us  aim 
at  the  highest  and  best  things.  Let  us  resolve 
by  God's  blessing  to  be  more  holy,  and  then  I 
know  and  am  persuaded  we  shall  be  more  use- 
ful and  more  happy. 

I  name  some  things  for  prayerful  considera- 
tion. 

I.  Let  us  then,  for  one  thing,  begin  with  a 
humble  confession  of  past  unprofitableness  and 
shortcomings. 

Let  us  acknowledge  with  shame  and  contri- 
tion that  we  have  not  hitherto  lived  up  to  our 
light.  We  ought  to  have  been  the  salt  of  the 
earth  ; — but  there  has  been  little  savor  of  Christ 
about  us.  We  ought  to  have  been  the  light  of 
the  world ; — but  we  have  most  of  us  been  little 
glimmering  sparks  that  could  scarcely  be  seen. 
We  ought  to  have  been  a  peculiar  people ; — 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  85 

but  the  difference  between  us  and  the  world 
has  been  faint  and  small.  We  ought  to  have 
been,  like  Levites,  in  Israel,  a  distinct  people, 
among  professing  Christians  : — but  we  have 
too  often  behaved  as  if  we  belonged  to  some 
other  tribe.  We  ought  to  have  looked  on  this 
world  as  an  inn,  and  we  have  settled  down  in 
it  as  if  it  were  our  home  : — it  ought  to  have 
been  counted  our  school  of  training  for  eter- 
nity, and  we  have  been  at  ease  in  it  as  if  it 
were  our  continuing  city,  or  trifled  away  time 
in  it,  as  if  we  were  meant  to  play  and  not  to 
learn.  We  ought  to  have  been  careful  for 
nothing,  and  we  hav^been  careful  and  troubled 
about  many  things, — we  have  allowed  the  af- 
fairs of  this  life  to  eat  out  the  heart  of  our 
spirituality,  and  have  been  cumbered  with  much 
serving. 

How  rarely  we  have  heard  the  Gospel  like 
men  in  earnest, — and  read  the  Bible  as  if  we 
were  feeding  on  it, — and  prayed  as  if  we 
wanted  an  answer !  How  poor  and  feeble  has 
been  our  witness  against  sin  !  How  seldom 
have  we  looked  like  men   about  our  Father's 


86  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 


business  !  How  little  have  we  known  about 
singleness  of  eye,  and  wholeness  of  heart,  and 
walking  in  the  Spirit!  How  weak  has  been 
our  faith,  how  feeble  our  hope,  how  cold  our 
charity  !  How  few  of  us  have  lived  as  if  we 
believed  all  that  is  written  in  the  Word,  and 
moved  through  life  like  pilgrims  travelling  to  a 
better  land  ! 

Oh!  Brethren  believers,  have  we  not  good 
reason  to  be  ashamed  when  we  think  on  these 
things  ?  Very  grievous  are  they,  and  we  ought 
to  feel  it.  Let  us  begin  with  self-abasement, 
— let  us  cry  "  God  be  merciful  to  us  sinners, — 
take  away  our  iniquity,  for  we  have  done  very 
foolishly." 

2.  In  the  next  place,  let  us  all  seek  to  '*  abide 
in  Christ "  more  thoroughly  than  we  ham 
hitherto. 

Christ  is  the  true  spring  of  life  in  every  be- 
liever's soul,  the  head  on  which  every  member 
depends,  the  corner-stone  of  all  real  sanctifica- 
tion.  Whenever  I  see  a  child  of  God  becoming 
less  holy  than  he  was,  I  know  the  secret  of  it, 
— he  is  clinging  less  firmly  to  Christ  than  he 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  87 

did.     Our  root  must  be  right,  if  our  fruit  is  to 
abound. 

Brethren,  let  us  strive  after  close  union  and 
communion  with  Christ.  Let  us  go  to  Him 
oftener,  speak  with  Him  more  frequently,  trust 
Him  more  wholly,  look  to  Him  more  con- 
stantly, lean  upon  Him  more  entirely.  This  is 
the  way  to  go  through  the  wilderness  without 
fainting,  and  to  run  the  race  set  before  us  with 
patience.  Let  us  live  the  life  of  faith  in  the 
Son  of  God.  He  is  the  vine  and  we  are  the 
branches  : — let  all  our  strength  be  drawn  from 
Him :  separate  from  him  we  can  do  nothing. 
He  is  the  Sun  of  righteousness ; — let  us  seek 
our  comfort  in  Him,  and  not  in  our  own  frames 
and  feelings.  He  is  the  bread  of  life  ; — let  us 
feed  on  Him  day  by  day,  as  Israel  on  the 
manna,  and  not  on  our  own  experiences.  Let 
Christ  become  more  and  more  all  things  to  us : 
His  blood  our  peace, — His  intercession  our 
comfort, — His  word  our  warrant, — His  grace 
our  strength, — His  sympathy  our  support, — His 
speedy  coming  our  hope.     Let   others   spend 


88 


CONSIDER  YOUE  WAYS. 


their  time  on  new  books  if  they  will,  let  us 
rather  study  to  learn  Christ. 

We  know  a  little  of  Christ  as  our  Saviour, 
but  Oh !  how  small  a  portion  have  we  seen  of 
the  fulness  that  is  in  Him !  Like  the  Indians, 
when  America  was  first  discovered,  we  are  not 
aware  of  the  amazing  value  of  the  gold  and 
treasure  in  our  hands.  Believe  me,  if  we  did 
but  realize  the  blessedness  of  free  and  full  for- 
giveness in  Him,  we  should  be  men  of  a  differ- 
ent stamp.  The  man  who  feels  the  blood  of 
atonement  sprinkled  on  his  conscience, — the 
man  who  enjoys  assurance  that  he  is  washed, 
and  justified,  and  accepted  in  the  Beloved,  this 
is  the  man  who  will  be  holy  indeed,  this  is  the 
man  who  will  bear  much  fruit.  He  will  labor 
cheerfully, — he  will  suffer  patiently, — he  will 
witness  confidently, — he  will  press  on  unflinch- 
ingly,— he  will  love  warmly.  Redemption  is 
ever  fresh  upon  his  mind,  and  his  thought  is, 
"  What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all  his 
benefits  ?" 

Brethren,  let  us  cleave  to  Christ  more  closely. 
Let  us  draw  nearer  to  the  cross.     Let  us  sit  at 


CONSIDER   YOUR  WAYS.  89 

the  feet  of  Jesus.  Let  us  drink  into  the  spirit 
of  the  apostle  when  he  said,  •'  To  me  to  live  is 
Christ."     Let  us  do  this,  and  we  shall  grow. 

3.  And  let  us  beware  of  excuses. 

Reasons  will  never  be  wanting  in  our  minds 
why  we  cannot  be  bright  and  eminent  Chris- 
tians just  now.  It  is  very  possible  to  admire 
a  high  standard  of  spirituality  in  others,  while 
we  are  content  with  very  low  practice  our- 
selves. We  persuade  ourselves  there  is  some- 
thing peculiar  in  our  particular  case,  which 
makes  it  almost  impossible  to  shine.  But  let 
all  excuses  be  received,  like  Babylonian  am- 
bassadors, with  great  suspicion.  They  are 
generally  the  devil's  coinage.  Let  us  settle  it 
firmly  in  our  hearts,  that  there  are  few  of  us 
indeed  who  cannot  glorify  God  just  where  we 
are  without  any  change.  All  our  excuses  are 
as  dust  in  the  balance  when  placed  against  that 
promise,  "My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  Let 
us  not  deceive  ourselves.  By  the  grace  of  God 
w^e  may  be  bright  saints  even  now. 

Let  us  not  say,  "  We  have  bad  health."  Re- 
member the  apostle  Paul : — he  had  a  thorn  in 


90  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

the  flesh, — some  never-ceasing  ailment,  prob- 
ably,— and  yet  it  seemed  a  spur  rather  than  a 
hindrance  to  his  soul. 

Let  us  not  say,  "  We  have  many  trials^  Re- 
member Job: — wave  upon  wave  came  rolling 
over  him,  and  yet  his  faith  did  not  give  way ; 
and  the  record  of  his  patience  is  on  high. 

Let  us  not  say,  "  We  have  families  and  chil- 
dren to  make  us  anxious  and  keep  us  hack." 
Remember  David : — none  was  ever  so  tried  at 
home  as  he  was,  yet  he  was  a  man  after  God's 
own  heart. 

Let  us  not  say,  "  We  have  press  of  distract- 
ing business  to  attend  on."  Remember  Daniel: 
— he  had  far  more  affairs  on  his  hands  prob- 
ably than  any  of  us,  yet  he  found  time  to  pray 
three  times  a  day,  and  was  a  proverb  for  godli- 
ness. 

Let  us  not  say,  ^^  I  stand  alone,  the  times 
are  evil,  and  none  around  me  serve  God."  Re- 
member Noah : — the  whole  world  was  against 
him,  yet  he  did  not  give  way.  By  faith  he  held 
fast. 

Let  us  not  say,  "We  live  in  families  where 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  91 

God  is  not  thought  of."  Remember  Obadiah 
in  Ahab's  house,  and  Nero's  servants  at 
Rome.  What  are  our  difficulties  compared 
with  theirs  ? 

Let  us  not  say,  "  We  are  poor  and  unlearn- 
ed." Remember  Peter  and  John.  They  were 
as  poor  and  unlearned  as  any  of  us,  yet  they 
were  pillars  of  the  early  Church,  they  were  of 
the  number  of  those  who  turned  the  world  up- 
side down. 

No!  believing  Brethren,  such  excuses  for 
not  being  more  holy  will  never  do  while 
grace  may  be  had.  Let  us  say  rather,  "  We 
are  slothful  and  take  no  trouble,  —  we  are 
unbelieving  and  make  no  bold  attempt, — we 
are  worldly  and  our  eyes  are  too  dim  to  see 
the  beauty  of  holiness, — we  are  proud  and 
we  cannot  humble  ourselves  to  take  pains." 
Let  us  say  this,  and  we  shall  more  likely 
speak  the  truth.  There  are  aKvays  ways  in 
which  we  may  glorify  God:  there  are  passive 
graces  as  well  as  active.  But  the  way  of 
the  slothful  is  always  a  hedge  of  thorns. 
The  wall  of  Jerusalem  was  soon  built  when 


92  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

the  Jews  had  "  a  mind  to  work."  We  com- 
plain of  the  devil,  but  there  is  no  devil  after 
all  like  our  own  hearts.  We  have  not  grace 
because  we  do  not  ask  it.  The  fault  is  all 
our  own. 

4.  Let  us  he  on  our  guard  against  false 
doctrine. 

Unsound  faith  will  never  be  the  mother  of 
really  sound  practice,  and  in  these  latter  days 
departures  from  the  faith  abound.  See  then 
that  your  loins  be  girt  about  with  truth,  and 
be  very  jealous  of  receiving  anything  which 
cannot  be  proved  by  the  Bible.  Think  not 
for  a  moment  that  false  doctrine  will  meet 
you  face  to  face,  saying  "  I  am  false  doctrine, 
and  I  want  to  come  into  your  heart."  Satan 
does  not  go  to  work  in  that  way.  He  dresses 
up  false  doctrine  like  Jezebel, — he  paints  her 
face  and  tires  her  head,  and  tries  to  make 
her  like  truth.  Think  not  that  those  who 
preach  error  will  never  preach  anything  that 
is  true.  Error  would  do  little  harm  if  that 
was  the  case.  No!  error  will  come  before 
you    mingled  with  much    that    is    sound  and 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  93 


scriptural.  The  sermon  will  be  all  right  ex- 
cepting a  few  sentences.  The  book  will  be 
all  good  excepting  a  few  pages.  And  this  is 
the  chief  danger  of  religious  error  in  these 
times, — it  is  like  the  subtle  poisons  of  days 
gone  by,— it  works  so  deceitfully  that  it  throws 
men  off  their  guard.  Brethren,  take  care.  Re- 
member that  even  Satan  himself  is  transformed 
into  an  angel  of  light. 

Keep  clear  of  any  system  of  religion  which 
confounds  the  world  and  true  believers,  and 
makes  no  broad  distinction  between  those  who 
are  true  children  of  God  in  a  congregation, 
and  those  who  are  not.  Be  not  carried  away 
by  an  appearance  of  great  self-denial  and  hu- 
mility. It  is  far  easier  to  fast  and  wear  sack- 
cloth, and  be  of  a  sad  countenance,  than  to 
receive  thoroughly  the  doctrine  of  justification 
by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law. 

Call  no  man  father  upon  earth.  Build  not 
your  faith  on  any  minister  or  set  of  ministers. 
Let  no  man  become  your  Pope.  Make  no 
Christian  living  your  standard  of  what  is  right 
in  faith  or  practice,  however  high  his  name, 


94  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

his  rank,  or  his  learning.  Let  your  creed  be 
the  Bible,  and  nothing  but  the  Bible ;  and  your 
example  Christ,  and  nothing  short  of  Him. 

Take  heed,  lest  your  minds  be  corrupted 
from  the  simplicity  that  is  in  Christ.  Be  care- 
ful what  books  you  read  on  religious  subjects  : 
many  books  of  this  day  are  leavened  with  doc- 
trines which  spoil  the  Gospel.  Examine  your- 
selves often  whether  you  are  standing  in  the 
old  paths.  Our  lost  estate  by  nature, — our  re- 
covery through  our  Saviour's  kindness  and 
love, — our  need  of  regeneration  and  renewal, 
— our  justification  through  grace; — these  are 
the  grand  doctrines,  as  Paul  told  Titus;  and 
these  are  the  points  on  which  we  must  be 
sound,  if  we  would  maintain  good  works. 

5.  Let  us  resolve  to  make  conscience  of 
little  things  in  our  daily  religion. 

Let  us  not  neglect  little  duties, — let  us  not 
allow  ourselves  in  little  faults.  Whatever  w^e 
may  like  to  think,  nothing  is  really  of  small 
importance  that  affects  the  soul.  All  diseases 
are  small  at  the  beginning.  Many  a  death-bed 
begins  with  "  a  little  cold."     Nothing  that  can 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  95 

grow  is  large  all  at  once, — the  greatest  sin 
must  have  a  beginning.  Nothing  that  is  great 
comes  to  perfection  in  a  day, — characters  and 
habits  are  all  the  result  of  little  actions.  Little 
strokes  made  that  ark  which  saved  Noah. 
Little  pins  held  firm  that  tabernacle  which  was 
the  glory  of  Israel.  We  too  are  travelling 
through  a  wilderness, — let  us  be  like  the  family 
of  Merari,  and  be  careful  not  to  leave  the  pins 
behind.     (Numbers  iv.  32.) 

Believers,  do  not  forget  how  full  the  Epistles 
are  of  instruction  about  the  particulars  of 
Christian  life.  The  apostles  seem  to  take  no- 
thing for  granted.  They  do  not  think  it  suffi- 
cient to  say,  "  be  holy," — they  take  care  to 
specify  and  name  the  things  in  which  holiness 
is  shown.  See  how  they  dwell  on  the  duties 
of  husbands  and  wives,  masters  and  servants, 
parents  and  children,  rulers  and  subjects,  old 
people  and  young.  See  how  they  single  out 
and  urge  upon  us  industry  in  business,  kind- 
ness in  temper,  forgiveness  in  disposition, 
honesty,  truthfulness,  temperance,  meekness, 
gentleness,  humility,  charity,  patience,  courtesy. 


96  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

See  how  they  exhort  us  to  honor  all  men,  to 
govern  our  tongues,  to  season  our  speech  with 
grace,  to  abstain  from  foohsh  talking  and  jest- 
ing, not  to  please  ourselves  only,  to  redeem  the 
time,  to  be  content  with  such  things  as  we 
have,  and  whether  we  eat  or  drink  to  do  all  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

Brethren,  some  people  think  that  to  dwell  on 
such  things  is  bondage ;  but  I  believe  it  good 
to  remind  you  of  them, — I  am  sure  it  is  safe. 
If  the  Spirit  of  God  thought  it  wise  to  dwell  so 
much  on  them  in  the  word,  I  cannot  douBt  it 
must  be  wise  for  us  to  attend  to  them  in  our 
walk.  It  is  much  more  easy  to  profess  holiness 
in  a  general  way,  than  to  carry  it  out  in  par- 
ticulars ;  and  I  fear  that  many  talk  familiarly  of 
santification  in  the  lump,  who  know  but  little 
of  it  in  the  piece. 

I  firmly  believe  that  looseness  about  these 
little  things  in  our  daily  behavior,  is  a  special 
means  of  grieving  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  of 
bringing  upon  us  in  consequence  barrenness 
and  leanness  of  soul. 


CONSIDER   YOUR   WAYS.  97 

6.  Let  us  be  more  active  in  endeavors  to  do 
good  to  the  world. 

Surely  we  may  all  do  far  more  for  uncon- 
verted souls  than  we  have  ever  done  yet.  Many 
of  us,  alas !  take  things  so  quietly,  that  a  man 
might  suppose  every  one  about  us  was  convert- 
ed, and  the  kingdom  of  Christ  fully  set  up.  I 
pray  you  let  us  lay  aside  these  lazy  habits. 

Are  all  our  friends  and  relations  in  Christ  ? 
Are  all  our  neighbors  and  acquaintances  inside 
the  ark  ?  Have  all  within  our  reach  received 
the  truth  in  the  love  of  it  ?  Have  we  asked 
them  all  to  come  in  ?  Have  we  told  them  all 
the  way  of  salvation,  and  our  own  experience 
that  the  way  is  good  ?  Have  we  done  all  that 
we  can?  Have  we  tried  every  means?  Is 
there  no  one  left  to  whom  we  can  show  Chris- 
tian kindness,  and  offer  the  Gospel  ?  Can  we 
lift  up  our  hands  to  God,  as  one  by  one,  souls 
around  us  are  taken  away,  and  say,  "  Our 
eyes,  O  Lord,  have  not  seen  this  blood,  and  its 
loss  cannot  in  any  wise  be  laid  at  our  door !" 
Surely,  my  Brethren,  grace  ought  to  be  as  ac- 
tive a  principle  in  trying  to  spread  godliness,  as 

-  7 


98  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 


sin  is  in  trying  to  spread  evil.  Surely  if  we 
had  a  tenth  part  of  the  zeal  which  Satan  shows 
to  enlarge  his  kingdom,  we  should  be  far  more 
full  of  care  for  other  men's  souls.  Where  is 
our  mercy  and  compassion,  if  we  can  see  dis- 
ease of  soul  about  us,  and  not  desire  to  make  it 
less? 

Let  us  awake  to  a  right  understanding  of 
our  responsibility  in  this  matter.  We  complain 
of  the  world  being  full  of  wickedness.  It  is  so. 
But  do  we  each  do  our  own  part  in  trying  to 
make  it  better  ?  Do  we  act  upon  the  old  say- 
ing, "  The  city  is  soon  clean  when  every  man 
sweeps  before  his  own  door?"  Let  us  try 
more  to  do  good  to  all.  Let  us  reckon  it  a 
painful  thing  to  go  to  heaven  alone, — let  us  en- 
deavor, as  far  as  we  can,  to  take  companions 
with  us.  Let  us  no  longer  be  silent  witnesses 
and  muffled  bells.  Let  us  warn,  and  beseech, 
and  invite,  and  rebuke,  and  advise,  and  testify 
of  Christ,  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left,  ac- 
cording as  we  have  opportunity, — saying  to 
men,  "  Come  with  us,  and  we  will  do  you  good, 
— the  light  is  sweet,  come  and  walk  in  the  light 


CONSIDER  TOUR  WAYS.  99 

of  the  Lord."  Let  us  not  suppose  no  good  is 
done  in  this  way^  because  our  eyes  do  not  see 
it:  we  must  walk  by  faith,  and  not  by  sight. 
Let  us  not  be  weary  in  well-doing,  because  we 
appear  to  labor  in  vain ;  we  may  rest  assured 
we  are  in  the  hands  of  a  good  Master, — in  due 
time  we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not. 

Activity  in  doing  good  is  one  receipt  for 
being  cheerful  Christians  :  it  is  like  exercise  to 
the  body, — it  keeps  the  soul  in  health. 

It  is  one  great  proof  of  love  toward  the  Lord 
Jesus,  and  a  proof  that  can  only  be  given  while 
we  are  alive.  Now  is  the  time  for  doing  good 
to  others,  and  not  hereafter.  In  heaven  there 
will  be  no  missionary  societies,  no  Bible  so- 
cieties, no  visiting  societies,  no  careless  to 
warn,  no  ignorant  to  instruct,  no  sick  to  minis- 
ter to,  no  mourners  to  comfort,  no  fainting 
saints  to  cheer.  In  heaven  there  will  be  love, 
joy,  peace,  thankfulness ;  but  in  heaven  there 
will  be  no  place  for  faith,  zeal,  courage,  labor 
patience, — their  occupation  will  be  over: — if 
ever  we  mean  to  show  these  graces  it  must  be 
now.    Oh !  let  us  make  haste,  for  the  time  is 


100  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

short.  Let  us  be  like  Christian,  in  Pilgrim's 
Progress, — ^when  his  burden  fell  off  at  the  sepul- 
chre, his  first  act  was  to  try  to  awaken  sleeping 
souls. 

7.  Lastly,  let  us  take  more  pains  to  edify 
other  believers. 

It  is  wonderful  and  sad  to  see  how  Scripture 
speaks  on  this  tnatter,  and  then  to  observe  the 
conduct  of  many  of  Christ's  people. 

Paul  tells  the  Corinthians,  that  the  members 
of  Christ  "  should  have  the  same  care  one  for 
another."  He  says  to  the  Thessalonians,  "  Edi- 
fy one  another,  even  as  also  ye  do."  He  says 
to  the  Hebrews,  "  Exhort  one  another  daily, 
lest  any  be  hardened  through  the  deceitfulness 
of  sin,"  and  again,  "Consider  one  another  to 
provoke  unto  love  and  good  works  ; — exhorting 
one  another,  and  so  much  the  more  as  ye  see 
the  day  approaching." 

Brethren,  I  fear  we  fall  very  short  of  the 
New  Testament  Christians  in  this  respect.  We 
are  sadly  apt  to  lose  sight  of  this  edifying  one 
another,  when  we  are  in  the  company  of  be- 
lieving friends.     Prayer,  and  the   Word,  and 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  101 

godly  conversation,  are  not  put  in  the  foremost 
place,  and  so  we  separate,  nothing  better,  but 
rather  worse.  Far  too  often  there  is  so  much 
coldness,  and  restraint,  and  reserve,  and  back- 
wardness, that  a  man  might  fancy  we  were 
ashamed  of  Christ,  and  that  we  thought  it 
proper  to  hold  our  tongues,  and  not  make  men- 
tion of  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

These  things  ought  not  so  to  be.  We  pro- 
fess that  we  are  all  fighting  the  same  fight, — 
contending  with  the  same  enemies, — plagued 
with  the  same  evil  hearts, — trusting  in  the 
same  Lord,  led  by  the  same  Spirit, — eating 
the  same  bread, — journeying  towards  the  same 
home.  Then  why  should  we  not  show  it? 
Why  should  we  not  be  always  ready  to  com- 
mune with  each  other  ?  Why  should  we  not 
try  to  help  each  other  forward, — to  profit  by 
each  other's  experience, — to  bear  each  other's 
burdens, — to  strengthen  each  other's  hands, — to 
quicken  each  other's  hearts, — to  speak  with 
each  other,  like  Moses  and  Jethro,  of  the  things 
pertaining  to  our  King.  There  is  a  fault  among 
us  here,  and  one  that  ought  to  be  amended. 


102  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 


Let  US  bring  out  the  Bible  more  when  we  get 
together.  We  none  of  us  know  it  all  yet ;  our 
brother  may  have  found  some  pearl  in  it  which 
has  escaped  our  eyes,  and  we  perhaps  may 
show  him  something  in  return.  It  is  the  com- 
mon map  by  which  we  all  journey ;  let  us  not 
behave  as  if  we  had  each  a  private  map  to  be 
studied  in  a  corner,  and  kept  to  ourselves.  Oh ! 
that  the  Word  were  like  a  burning  fire  shut  up 
in  our  bones,  so  that  we  could  not  forbear  speak- 
ing of  it ! 

Let  us  speak  oftener  about  the  eternal  home 
towards  which  we  travel.  Children,  before 
their  holidays,  love  to  talk  of  home, — their 
hearts  are  full,  they  cannot  help  it, — why  should 
not  we  ?  Surely  it  ill  becomes  the  citizens  of 
heaven  to  say  nothing  of  heaven  to  those  with 
whom  they  expect  to  dwell  forever. 

Let  us  aim  at  closer  communion  with  all 
true  believers.  This  will  go  far  to  procure 
Christ's  presence  with  us  on  our  journey.  The 
two  disciples  who  went  to  Emmaus  were  talk- 
ing of  holy  things  when  they  were  joined  by 
the  Lord.     Let  us  speak  often  one  to  another, 


CONSIDER   YOUR  WAYS.  103 

and  the  Lord  will  hearken  and  remember  it. 
This  too  will  mightily  promote  the  growth  and 
comfort  of  our  souls.  The  fire  within  us  needs 
constant  stirring,  as  well  as  feeding,  to  keep  it 
bright.  Many  can  testify  that  they  find  com- 
munion a  special  means  of  grace.  As  iron 
sharpeneth  iron,  so  doth  the  countenance  of  a 
man  his  friend ; — and  the  weakest  too  may 
sharpen  the  strongest,  even  as  the  whetstone 
does  the  scythe.  He  that  tries  to  promote  holi- 
ness in  others  shall  reap  a  blessed  reward  in 
his  own  soul, — he  waters  others,  and  he  shall 
be  watered  himself. 

Brethren  believers,  I  have  thought  it  good  to 
name  these  things  in  writing  to  you  about  sanc- 
tification.  I  desire  to  do  it  in  all  humility.  I 
need  reminding  of  them  as  much  as  any.  Let 
us  all  resolve  to  set  them  before  us,  and  I  am 
sure  we  shall  not  repent  it. 

And  now,  beloved  Brethren,  I  have  done ;  I 
have  told  you  one  and  all  the  longings  and  de 
sires  of  my  heart.     Conversion  for  the  uncon- 
verted, decision  for  the  wavering,  growth  in 


104  CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS. 

grace  for  the  believer, — this  seals  up  the  sum 
of  my  wishes  for  you. 

I  can  wish  you  nothing  better,  for  this  is  the 
way  to  true  happiness.  I  will  wish  you  nothing 
less,  for  without  these  things  I  am  sure  there  is 
no  peace.     Consider  well  what  I  have  said. 

Death  may  be  busy  among  us  very  soon, — 
let  us  all  be  found  in  Christ  and  prepared.  Sa- 
tan will  be  busy  among  us  no  doubt, — let  us  all 
watch  and  pray.  Let  us  beware  of  a  spirit  of 
slumber  and  formality,  and  especially  in  private 
reading  and  praying.  Let  our  path  to  the  foun- 
tain be  worn  with  daily  journeys,  let  our  key 
to  the  treasury  of  grace  be  bright  with  constant 
use.  Let  us  pray  more,  and  let  us  pray  more 
earnestly.  Let  those  who  never  prayed  begin 
to  pray.  Let  those  who  have  prayed  pray 
better. 

Pray  for  yourselves, — that  you  may  know 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  cleave  to  Him, — that  you 
may  be  kept  from  falling, — that  you  may  serve 
your  generation, — that  you  may  be  sober  in 
prosperity,  patient  in  trial,  and  humble  at  all 
times. 


CONSIDER  YOUR  WAYS.  105 

Pray  for  the  congregation  to  which  you  be- 
long,— that  the  word  of  the  Lord  may  have  free 
course  in  it,  and  be  glorified,  that  the  household 
of  faith  may  become  stronger  and  stronger,  and 
the  household  of  unbelief  weaker  and  weaker. 

Pray  for  your  country, — that  her  ministers 
may  preach  the  Gospel,  and  be  sound  in  the 
faith, — that  her  rulers  may  value  the  Bible,  and 
govern  according  to  it, — and  that  so  her  can- 
dlestick may  not  be  taken  away. 

And  pray  not  least  for  your  minister,  that 
he  may  be  strong  to  work,  and  willing  to  labor 
for  your  good, — that  all  his  sicknesses  may  be 
sanctified,  and  all  his  health  given  to  the  Lord, 
— that  he  may  be  ever  taught  of  the  Spirit,  and 
thus  be  able  to  teach  others, — that  he  may  be 
kept  faithful  unto  death,  and  so  be  ready  to  de- 
part when  he  is  called. 

Let  us  all  pray,  one  for  the  other, — I  for  you, 
and  you  for  me, — and  we  shall  be  blessed  in 
our  deed. 


%xt  tjntt  /nrgiBBn? 


YOUR   SINS   ARE   FORGIVEN    YOU, 

1  John  ii.  12. 


Reader, — 

Do  you  see  the  question  which  stands  at 
the  head  of  this  page  ?  It  is  just  possible  you 
may  not  understand  its  meaning.  Perhaps  you 
may  think,  "  Whom  have  I  injured  ?  Whom 
have  I  defrauded  ?  Whom  have  I  wronged  ? 
Whose  confidence  have  I  forfeited  ?  What 
need  have  I  of  forgiveness  ?" 

I  answer,  it  is  not  an  earthly  forgiveness  I 
am  asking  about,  but  a  heavenly  one.  I  do  not 
inquire  whether  you  are  forgiven  in  the  sight 
of  men,  but  whether  you  are  forgiven  in  the 
sight  of  God.  The  question  I  desire  to  press 
home  on  your  conscience  is  simply  this,  "Are 
you  a  pardoned  soul  V 

Come,  now,  and   give   me   your  attention, 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  107 

while  I  speak  to  you  about  the  forgiveness  of 
sins.  The  subject  is  one  which  can  never  be 
considered  too  soon.  We  lately  saw  the  pesti- 
lence slaying  its  thousands  and  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  our  countrymen.  The  strongest  were 
carried  off  in  a  few  hours.  The  cleverest  phy- 
sicians found  their  skill  entirely  unavailing. 
We  live  yet,  and  we  may  well  be  thankful.  We 
live  yet,  and  surely  we  should  be  thoughtful.  Our 
turn  may  come  next.  Our  graves  may  soon 
be  ready  for  us.  Come  then,  I  say  once  more, 
and  let  me  speak  to  you  about  the  forgiveness 
of  sins. 

1.  Let  me  show  you  first  of  all  your  need 
of  forgiveness. 

All  men  need  forgiveness,  because  all  men 
are  sinners.  He  that  does  not  know  this,  knows 
nothing  in  religion.  It  is  the  very  A  B  C  of 
Christianity,  that  a  man  should  know  his  right 
place,  and  understand  his  deserts. 

We  are  all  great  sinners.     Sinners  we  were 
born,  and  sinners  we  have  been   all  our  lives 
We  take  to  sin  naturally  from  the  very  first 
No  child  ever  needs  schooling  and  education 


108  ARE  YOU   FORGIVEN. 

to  teach  it  to  do  wrong.  No  devil  or  bad  com- 
panion ever  leads  us  into  such  wickedness  as 
our  own  hearts.  And  yet  the  wages  of  sin  is 
death.  We  must  either  be  forgiven,  or  lost 
eternally.* 

We  are  all  guilty  sinners  in  the  sight  of  God. 
We  have  broken  His  holy  law.  We  have 
transgressed  His  precepts.  We  have  not  done 
His  will.  There  is  not  a  commandment  in  all 
the  ten  that  does  not  condemn  us.  If  we  have 
not  broken  it  in  deed,  we  have  in  word.  If  we 
have  not  broken  it  in  word,  we  have  in  thought 
and  imagination, — and  that  continually.  Tried 
by  the  standard  of  the  fifth  chapter  of  St.  Mat- 
thew, there  is  not  one  of  us  that  would  be  ac- 
quitted. And  yet  it  is  appointed  unto  men 
once  to  die,  and  after  this  comes  the  judgment. 
We  must  either  be  forgiven,  or  perish  everlast- 
ingly. 

*  "  No  man  that  seeth  himself  to  be  a  sinner  really,  can 
count  himself  a  small  or  little  sinner.  Nor  can  it  ever  be, 
till  there  be  a  little  law  to  break,  a  little  God  to  offend,  a 
little  guilt  to  contract,  and  a  little  wrath  to  incur.  All  which 
are  impossible  to  be,  blasphemy  to  wish,  and  madness  to  ex- 
^ecV'—lVaill.     1690. 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  109 

When  I  walk  through  the  crowded  streets 
of  London,  I  see  hundreds  and  thousands,  of 
whom  I  know  nothing  beyond  their  outward 
appearance.  I  see  some  bent  on  pleasure,  and 
some  on  business, — some  who  look  rich,  and 
some  who  look  poor, — some  rolling  in  their 
carriages,  some  hurrying  along  on  foot.  Each 
has  his  own  object  in  view.  Each  has  his  own 
aims  and  ends,  all  alike  hidden  from  me.  But 
one  thing  I  know  for  a  certainty,  as  I  look  upon 
them,  they  are  all  sinners.  There  is  not  a  soul 
among  them  all  but  is  guilty  before  God.  There 
breathes  not  the  man  or  woman  in  that  crowd, 
but  must  die  forgiven,  or  else  rise  again  to  be 
condemned  forever  at  the  last  day. 

When  I  look  through  the  length  and  breadth 
of  Great  Britain,  I  must  make  the  same  report. 
From  the  Land's  End  to  the  North  Foreland, 
— from  the  Isle  of  Wight  to  Caithness, — from 
the  Queen  on  the  throne  to  the  pauper  in  the 
workhouse, — we  are  all  sinners.  We  have  got 
a  name  among  the  Empires  of  the  earth.  We 
send  our  ships  into  every  sea,  and  our  mer- 
chandise into  every  town  in  the  world.     We 


110  AEE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

have  bridged  the  Atlantic  with  our  steamers. 
We  have  macle  night  in  our  cities  like  day  with 
gas.  We  have  changed  England  into  one  great 
county  by  railways.  We  can  exchange  thought 
between  London  and  Edinburgh  in  a  few  sec- 
onds by  the  electric  telegraph.  But  with  all  our 
arts  and  sciences, — with  all  our  machinery  and 
inventions, — with  all  our  armies  and  navies, — 
with  all  our  lawyers  and  statesmen,  we  have 
not  altered  the  natures  of  our  people ; — we  are 
still  in  the  eye  of  God  an  island  full  of  sinners. 
When  I  turn  to  the  map  of  the  world,  I  must 
say  the  same  thing.  It  matters  not  what  quar- 
ter I  examine,  I  find  men's  hearts  are  every- 
where the  same,  and  everywhere  wicked.  Sin 
is  the  family  disease  of  all  the  children  of  Adam. 
Never  has  there  been  a  corner  of  the  earth  dis- 
covered, where  sin  and  the  devil  do  not  reign. 
Wide  as  the  differences  are  between  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth,  they  have  been  found  to 
have  one  great  mark  in  common.  Europe  and 
Asia,  Africa  and  America,  Iceland  and  India, 
Paris  and  Pekin,  all  alike  have  the  mark  of  sin. 
The  eye  of  the  Lord  looks  down  on  this  globe 


AEE   YOU   FOEGIVEN.  Ill 

of  ours,  as  it  rolls  round  the  sun,  and  sees  it 
covered  with  corruption  and  wickedness.  What 
he  sees  in  the  moon  and  stars,  Jupiter  and 
Saturn,  I  cannot  tell, — but  on  the  earth  I  know- 
He  sees  sin.     (Psalm  xiv.  2,  3.) 

Reader,  you  may  not  perhaps  like  what  I  am 
saying.  I  have  no  doubt  such  language  as  this 
sounds  extravagant  to  some.  You  think  I  am 
going  much  too  far.  But  mark  well  what  I  am 
about  to  say  next,  and  then  consider  whether 
I  have  not  used  the  words  of  soberness  and  truth. 

What  then,  I  ask,  is  the  life  of  the  best 
Christian  amongst  us  all  ?  What  is  it  but  one 
great  arrear, — one  long  catalogue  of  short- 
comings ?  What  is  it  but  a  daily  acting  out 
the  words  of  our  Prayer  Book,  "leaving  un- 
done things  that  we  ought  to  do,  and  doing 
things  that  we  ought  not  to  do  ?"  Our  faith, 
how  feeble !  Our  love,  how  cold  !  Our  works, 
how  few  !  Our  zeal,  how  small !  Our  patience, 
how  short-breathed !  Our  humility,  how  thread- 
bare? Our  self-denial,  how  dwarfish  !  Our 
knowledge,  how  dim  !  Our  spirituality,  how 
shallow  !     Our  prayers,  how  formal !     Our  de- 


112  AKE  YOU  FORGIVEN". 

sires  for  more  grace,  how  faint !  Never  did  the 
wisest  of  men  speak  more  wisely  than  when 
he  said,  "  There  is  not  a  just  man  upon  earth 
that  doeth  good  and  sinneth  not."  (Eccles. 
vii.  20.)  "  In  many  things,"  says  the  apostle 
James,  "  we  offend  all."    (James  iii.  2.) 

And  what  is  the  best  action  that  is  ever  done 
by  the  very  best  of  Christians  ?  What  is  it 
after  all  but  an  imperfect  work,  when  tried  on 
its  own  merits?  It  is,  as  Luther  says,  no  better 
than  a  splendid  sin.  It  is  always  more  or  less 
defective.  It  is  either  wrong  in  its  motive,  or 
incomplete  in  its  performance, — not  done  from 
perfect  principles,  or  not  executed  in  a  perfect 
way.  The  eyes  of  men  may  see  no  fault  in  it, 
but  weighed  in  the  balance  of  God  it  would 
be  found  wanting,  and  viewed  in  the  light  of 
heaven,  it  would  prove  full  of  flaws.  It  is  like 
the  drop  of  water  which  seems  clear  to  the 
naked  eye,  but  placed  under  a  microscope  is 
discovered  to  be  full  of  impurity.  David's  ac- 
count is  literally  true,  "  There  is  none  that 
doeth  good,  no  not  one."  (Psalm  xiv.  3.)* 

*  "  Let  us  acknowledge  oui'selves  before  God,  as  we  be 


AKE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  113 

And  then,  lohat  is  the  Lord  God,  whose  eyes 
are  on  all  our  ways,  and  before  whom  we  have 
one  day  to  give  account  ?  "  Holy,  holy,  holy," 
is  the  remarkable  expression  applied  to  Him  by 
those  who  are  nearest  to  Him.  (Isaiah  vi.  3. 
Rev.  iv.  8.)  It  sounds  as  if  no  one  word  could 
express  the  intensity  of  His  holiness.  One  of 
His  prophets  says,  "He  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to 
behold   evil,    and    cannot   look   on   iniquity." 

indeed,  miserable  and  wretched  sinners.  Let  us  all  confess 
with  mouth  and  heart,  that  we  be  full  of  imperfections. 
There  be  imperfections  in  our  best  works ;  we  do  not  love 
God  so  much  as  we  are  bound  to  do,  with  all  our  heart, 
mind,  and  power :  we  do  not  fear  God  so  much  as  we  ought 
to  do  :  we  do  not  pray  to  God,  but  with  many  and  great  im- 
perfections ;  we  give,  forgive,  believe,  live,  and  hope  imper- 
fectly :  we  speak,  think,  and  do  imperfectly :  we  fight 
against  the  devil,  the  world,  and  the  flesh  imperfectly.  Let  us 
not  be  ashamed  to  confess  imperfection,  even  in  all  our  own  best 
works." — Church  of  England  Homily  on  the  Misery  of  Man. 

"  If  God  should  make  us  an  offer  thus  large,  Search  all  the 
generations  of  men  since  the  fall  of  your  father  Adam,  find 
one  man  that  hath  done  any  one  action,  which  hath  past  from 
him  pure,  without  any  stain  or  blemish  at  all ;  and  for  that 
one  man's  one  only  action,  neither  man  nor  angel  shall  feel 
the  torments  which  are  prepared  for  both :  do  you  think  this 
ransom,  to  deliver  men  and  angels,  would  be  found  among  the 
sons  of  men  ?  The  best  things  we  do  have  somewhat  in  them 
to  be  pardoned.  How  then  can  we  do  anything  meritorious, 
and  worthy  to  be  rewarded  ?" — Richard  Hooker.  1585. 

8 


114  ARE  YOU   FORGIVEN. 

(Habak.  i.  13.)  We  think  the  angels  exalted 
beings,  and  far  above  ourselves  ;  but  we  are 
told  in  Scripture,  "  He  charged  His  angels 
with  folly."  (Job  iv.  18.)  We  admire  the 
moon  and  stars  as  glorious  and  splendid  bodies, 
but  we  read,  "  Behold,  even  to  the  moon,  and 
it  shineth  not ;  yea,  the  stars  are  not  pure  in 
His  sight."  (Job  xxv.  5.)  We  talk  of  the 
heavens  as  the  noblest  and  purest  part  of  crea- 
tion ;  but  even  of  them  it  is  written,  "  The 
heavens  are  not  clean  in  His  sight."  (Job  xv. 
14.)  Reader,  what  is  any  of  us  but  a  misera- 
ble sinner  in  the  sight  of  such  a  God  as  this? 

Surely  we  ought  all  to  cease  from  proud 
thoughts  about  ourselves.  We  ought  to  lay 
our  hands  upon  our  mouths,  and  say  with 
Abraham,  "  I  am  dust  and  ashes,"  and  with 
Job,  "  I  am  vile,"  and  with  Isaiah,  "  We  are  all 
as  an  unclean  thing,"  and  with  John,  "  If  we 
say  that  we  have  no  sin  we  deceive  ourselves, 
and  the  truth  is  not  in  us."  (Gen.  xviii.  27 ; 
Job  xl.  4;  Isaiah  Ixiv.  6;  1  John  i.  9.)  Where 
is  the  man  or  woman  in  the  whole  catalogue 
of  the  Book  of  life,  that  will  ever  be  able  to  say 


ARE  YOU   FORGIVEN.  115 

more  than  this.  "  I  obtained  mercy  ?"  What 
is  the  glorious  company  of  the  apostles,  the 
goodly  fellowship  of  the  prophets,  the  noble 
army  of  martyrs, — what  are  they  all  but  par- 
doned sinners  ?  Surely  there  is  but  one  con- 
clusion to  be  arrived  at, — we  are  all  great 
sinners,  and  we  all  need  a  great  forgiveness.* 

See  now  what  just,  cause  I  have  to  tell  you 
that  to  know  your  need  of  forgiveness,  is  the 
first  thing  in  true  religion.  Sin  is  a  burden, 
and  must  be  taken  off.  Sin  is  a  defilement, 
and  must  be  cleansed  away.  Sin  is  a  mighty 
debt,  and  must  be  paid.  Sin  is  a  mountain 
standing  between  us  and  heaven,  and  must 
be  removed.  Happy  is  that  mother's  child 
amongst  us  that  feels  all  this !  The  first  step 
towards  heaven  is  to  see  clearly  that  we  .de- 
serve hell.  There  is  but  one  alternative  before  us, 
— we  must  be  forgiven,  or  be  miserable  forever. f 

*  "  Who  is  in  this  world,  or  ever  hath  been,  which  hath 
not  need  to  say  this  prayer  ; — to  desire  God  to  take  from  him 
his  sins,  to  forgive  him  his  trespasses  ?  Truly  no  saint  in 
heaven,  be  they  as  holy  as  ever  they  will,  but  they  have  had 
need  of  this  prayer ;  they  have  had  need  to  say,  Lord  for- 
give us  our  trespasses/' — Bishop  Latimer's  Sermons.  1552. 

f  "  No  man  shall  be  in  heaven  but  he  that  sees  himself 


116  AKE   YOU   FOKGIVEN. 

See  too  how  little  many  persons  know  of  the 
design  of  Christianity,  though  they  live  in  a 
Christian  land.  They  fancy  they  are  to  go  to 
church  to  learn  their  duty,  and  hear  morality 
enforced,  and  for  no  other  purpose.  They  for- 
get that  the  heathen  philosophers  could  have 
told  them  as  much  as  this.  They  forget  that 
such  men  as  Plato  and  Seneca  gave  instruc- 
tion, which  ought  to  put  to  shame  the  Chris- 
tian liar,  the  Christian  drunkard,  and  the 
Christian  thief.  They  have  yet  to  learn  that 
the  leading  mark  of  Christianity  is  the  remedy 
it  provides  for  sin.  This  is  the  glory  and  ex- 
cellence of  the  Gospel.  It  meets  man  as  he 
really  is.  It  takes  him  as  it  finds  him.  It  goes 
down  to  the  level  to  which  sin  has  brought  him, 
and  offers  to  raise  him  up.  It  tells  him  of  a 
remedy  equal  to  his  disease — a  great  remedy 
for  a  great  disease, — a  great  forgiveness  for 
great  sinners. 

Reader,  I  ask  you  to  consider  these  things 

fully  qualified  for  hell,  as  a  fagot  that  is  bound  up  for  eter- 
nal burnings,  unless  mercy  plucks  the  brand  out  of  the  fire." 
—Traill.  1690. 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  117 

well,  if  you  have  not  considered  them  before. 
It  is  no  light  matter  whether  you  know  your 
soul's  necessities  or  not.  It  is  a  matter  of  life 
and  death.  Try,  I  beseech  you,  to  become 
acquainted  with  your  own  heart.  Sit  down 
and  think  quietly  what  you  are  in  the  sight  of 
God.  Bring  together  the  thoughts  and  words 
and  actions  of  any  day  in  your  life,  and  meas- 
ure them  by  the  measure  of  God's  word. 
Judge  yourself  honestly,  that  you  may  not  be 
condemned  at  the  last  day.  O  that  you  may 
find  out  what  you  really  are !  O  that  you  may 
learn  to  pray  Job's  prayer,  "  Make  me  to  know 
my  transgression  and  my  sin."  (Job  xiii.  23.) 
O  that  you  may  see  this  great  truth,  that  until 
you  are  forgiven,  your  Christianity  has  done 
nothing  for  you  at  all. 

II.  Let  me  point  out  to  you,  in  the  second 
place,  the  way  of  forgiveness. 

I  ask  your  particular  attention  to  this  point, 
for  none  can  be  more  important.  Granting 
for  a  moment  that  you  want  pardon  and  for- 
giveness, what  ought  you  to  do  ?  Whither 
will  you   go  ?      Which   way  will  you  turn  ? 


118  AEE   YOU   FOEGIVEN. 


Everything  hinges  on  the  answer  you  give  to 
this  question. 

Will  you  turn  to  ministers,  and  put  your 
trust. in  them  ?  They  cannot  give  you  pardon : 
they  can  only  tell  you  where  it  is  to  be  found. 
They  can  set  before  you  the  bread  of  life :  but 
you  yourself  must  eat  it.  They  can  show  you 
the  path  of  peace  :  but  you  yourself  must  walk 
into  it.  The  Jewish  priest  had  no  power  to 
cleanse  the  leper,  but  only  to  declare  him 
cleansed.  The  Christian  minister  has  no  power 
to  forgive  sins, — he  can  only  pronounce  who 
they  are  that  are  forgiven.* 

Will  you  turn  to  sacratnents  and  ordinances, 
and  trust  in  them  ?  They  cannot  supply  you 
with  forgiveness,  however  diligently  you  may 
use  them.     By  sacraments  faith  is  confirmed 

*  "  Ministers  cannot  remit  sin,  authoritatively  and  efFecta- 
ally,  but  only  declaratively.  They  have  a  special  office  and 
authority  to  apply  the  promises  of  pardon  to  broken  hearts. 
When  a  minister  sees  one  humbled  for  sin,  yet  afraid  God 
hath  not  pardoned  him,  and  ready  to  be  swallowed  up  of 
sorrow,  in  this  case  a  minister  for  the  easing  of  the  man's 
conscience  may,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  declare  to  him  that 
he  is  pardoned.  The  minister  doth  not  forgive  sin  by  his 
own  authority,  but  as  a  herald  in  Christ's  name  pronounceth 
the  man's  pardon." — Thomas  Waison.     1660. 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  119 

and  grace  increased,  in  all  who  rightly  use 
them.  But  they  cannot  justify  the  sinner. 
They  cannot  put  away  transgression.  You 
may  go  to  the  Lord's  table  every  Sunday  in 
your  life  ;  but  unless  you  look  far  beyond  the 
sign  to  the  thing  signified,  you  will  after  all  die 
in  your  sins.*  You  may  attend  a  daily  service 
regularly,  but  if  you  think  to  establish  a  right- 
eousness of  your  own  by  it  in  the  slightest 
degree,  you  are  only  getting  further  away  from 
God  every  day. 

Will  you  trust  in  your  own  works  and  en- 
deavors, your  virtues  and  your  good  deeds, 
your  prayers  and  your  alms  ?  They  will 
never  buy  for  you  an  entrance  into  heaven. 
They  will  never  pay  your  debt  to  God.  They 
are   all   imperfect  in  themselves,  and  only  in- 

*  "  He  that  supposeth  to  make  Christ  his,  and  all  Christ's 
merits,  by  the  receiving  of  the  outward  sign  and  sacrament, 
and  bringeth  not  Christ  in  his  heart  to  the  sacrament,  he  may 
make  himself  assured  rather  of  the  devil  and  eternal  death, 
as  Judas  and  Cain  did.  For  the  sacrament  maketh  not  the 
union,  peace,  and  concord  between  God  and  us,  but  it 
ratifieth,  establisheth,  and  confirmeth  the  love  and  peace 
that  is  between  God  and  U8  before  for  His  promise  sake." — 
Bishop  Hooper.     1545. 


120  ARE  YOU   FORGIVEN. 

crease  your  guilt.  There  is  no  merit  or 
worthiness  in  them  at  the  very  best.  "  When 
ve  have  done  all  those  things  which  are  com- 
manded  you,"  says  the  Lord  Jesus,  "say  we 
are  unprofitable  servants."*     (Luke  xvii.  10.) 

Will  you  trust  in  your  own  repentance  and 
amendment  ?  You  are  very  sorry  for  the  past. 
You  hope  to  do  better  for  time  to  come.  You 
hope  God  will  be  merciful.  Alas  !  if  you  lean 
on  this,  you  have  nothing  beneath  you  but  a 
broken  reed.  The  judge  does  not  pardon  the 
thief  because  he  is  sorry  for  what  he  did.  To- 
day's sorrow  will  not  wipe  off  the  score  of 
yesterday's  sins.     It  is  not  an  ocean  of  tears 

*  "  What  if  I  should  fast  my  body  into  a  skeleton,  and 
pray  my  tongue  and  wear  my  ears  to  their  very  stumps  ? 
What  though  I  should  water  my  couch  continually  with  my 
tears,  fasten  my  knees  always  to  the  earth  by  prayer,  and 
fix  my  eyes  constantly  into  heaven  by  meditation  ?  What 
though  I  should  give  everything  I  have  to  my  poor  dis- 
tressed neighbors,  and  spend  each  moment  of  my  time  in 
the  immediate  worshipping  of  my  glorious  Maker  ?  Would 
any  of  this  be  more  than  I  am  bound  to  do  ?  Should  I  not 
still  be  an  unprofitable  servant  ?  And  if  I  can  do  more 
than  is  my  duty  unto  God,  how  can  I  merit  anything  by 
what  I  do  for  Him  ?  How  can  He  be  indebted  to  me  for 
my  paying  what  I  owe  to  Him  ?" — Bishop  Beveridge.     1100. 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  121 

that  will  ever  cleanse  an  uneasy  conscience, 

and  give  it  peace. 

Where   then   must  a   man  go  for  pardon  ? 

Where  is  forgiveness  to  be  found  ?     Listen, 

Reader,   and   by  God's   help  I  will   tell   you. 

There  is  a  way  both  sure  and  plain,  and  into 

that  way  I  desire    to   guide  every   inquirer's 
feet. 

That  way  is,  simply  to   trust  in   the  Lord 

Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  as  your  Saviour. 
It  is  to  cast  your  soul,  with  all  its  sins,  unre- 
servedly on  Christ, — to  cease  completely  from 
any  dependence  on  your  own  works  and 
doings,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  and  to  rest 
on  no  other  work  but  Christ's  work,  no  other 
righteousness  but  Christ's  righteousness,  no 
other  merit  but  Christ's  merit,  as  your  ground 
of  hope.  Take  this  course,  and  you  are  a 
pardoned  soul.  "  To  Christ,"  says  Peter,  "  give 
all  the  prophets  witness,  that  through  His  name 
whosoever  believeth  in  Him  shall  receive  re- 
mission of  sins."  (Acts  x.  43.)  "  Through 
this  man,"  said  Paul  at  Antioch,  "  is  preached 
unto  you  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  and  by  Him 


122  ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

all  that  believe  are  justified  from  all  things." 
(Acts  xiii.  38.)  "  In  Him,"  writes  Paul  to  the 
Colossians,  "  we  have  redemption  through  His 
blood,  even  the  forgiveness  of  sins."   (Col.  i.  4.) 

The  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  great  love  and 
compassion,  has  made  a  full  and  complete 
satisfaction  for  sin,  by  His  own  death  upon  the 
cross.  There  He  offered  Himself  as  a  sacri- 
fice for  us,  and  allowed  the  wrath  of  God 
which  we  deserved,  to  fall  on  His  own  head. 
For  our  sins  He  gave  Himself,  suffered,  and 
died, — the  just  for  the  unjust,  the  innocent  for 
the  guilty, — that  He  might  deliver  us  from  the 
curse  of  a  broken  law,  and  provide  a  complete 
pardon  for  all  who  are  willing  to  receive  it. 
And  by  so  doing,  as  Isaiah  says,  He  has  home 
our  sins, — as  John  the  Baptist  says,  He  has 
taken  away  sin, — as  Paul  says,  He  has  purged 
our  sins,  and  put  away  sin, — and  as  Daniel 
says,  He  has  made  an  end  of  sin,  and  finished 
transgression.  (Isaiahliii.il.  John  i.  29.  Heb. 
i.  3;  ix.  26.     Dan.  ix.  24.) 

And  now  the  Lord  Jesus  is  sealed  and  ap- 
pointed by  God  the  Father  to  be  a  Prince  and 


ARE  YOU   FORGIVEN.  123 

a  Saviour,  to  give  remission  of  sins  to  all  who 
will  have  it.  The  keys  of  death  and  hell  are 
put  in  His  hand.  The  government  of  the  gate 
of  heaven  is  laid  on  His  shoulder.  He  Him- 
self is  the  door,  and  by  Him  all  that  enter  in 
shall  be  saved.  (Acts  v.  31.  Rev.  i.  18. 
John  X.  9.) 

Christ,  in  one  word,  has  purchased  a  full  for- 
giveness, if  you  and  I  are  willing  to  receive  it. 
He  has  done  all,  paid  all,  suffered  all  that  was 
needful  to  reconcile  us  to  God.  He  has  provi- 
ded a  garment  of  righteousness  to  clothe  us. 
He  has  opened  a  fountain  of  living  waters  to 
cleanse  us.  He  has  removed  every  barrier  be- 
tween us  and  God  the  Father,  taken  every 
obstacle  out  of  the  way,  and  made  a  road  by 
which  the  vilest  may  return.  All  things  are 
now  ready,  and  the  sinner  has  only  to  believe 
and  be  saved,  to  eat  and  be  satisfied,  to  ask  and 
receive,  to  wash  and  be  clean. 

And  faith,  simple  faith,  is  the  only  thing  re- 
quired, in  order  that  you  and  I  may  be  forgiven. 
That  we  will  come  to  Jesus  as  sinners  with  our 
sins, — trust  in  Him, — rest  on  Him, — lean  on 


124  AKE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

Him, — confide  in  Him, — commit  our  souls  to 
Him, — and  for^saking  all  other  hope,  cleave 
only  to  Him, — this  is  all  and  everything  that 
God  asks  for.  Let  a  man  only  do  this,  and  he 
shall  be  saved.  His  iniquities  shall  be  found 
completely  pardoned,  and  his  transgressions  en- 
tirely taken  away.  Every  man  that  so  trusts 
is  w^holly  forgiven,  and  reckoned  perfectly  right- 
eous. His  sins  are  clean  gone,  and  his  soul  is 
justified  in  God's  sight,  however  bad  and  guilty 
he  may  have  been.* 

Faith  is  the  only  thing  required,  not  knowl- 

*  "  We  must  only  trust  to  the  merits  of  Christ,  which 
Batisfied  the  extreme  jot  and  uttermost  point  of  the  law  for  us. 
And  this  His  justice  and  perfection  He  imputeth  and  com- 
municateth  with  us  by  faith.  Such  as  say  tliat  only  faith 
justifieth  not,  because  other  virtues  be  present,  they  cannot 
tell  what  they  say.  Every  man  that  will  have  his  conscience 
appeased  must  mark  these  two  things:  How  remission  of 
sins  is  obtained,  and  wherefore  it  is  obtained.  Faith  is  the 
mean  whereby  it  is  obtained,  and  the  cause  wherefore  it  is 
received  is  the  merits  of  Christ." — Bishop  Hooper.     154^7. 

"  When  we  believe  in  Christ,  it  is  like  as  if  we  had  no  sins. 
For  He  changeth  with  us  :  He  taketh  our  sins  and  wickedness 
from  us,  and  giveth  unto  us  His  holiness,  righteousness,  jus- 
tice, fulfilling  of  the  law,  and  so  consequently  everlasting  life. 
So  that  we  be  like  as  if  we  had  done  no  sin  at  all ;  for  His 
righteousness  standeth  us  in  good  stead,  as  though  we  of  our 


ARE   YOU  rOR&IVEN".  125 

edge.  A  man  may  be  a  poor  unlearned  sinner, 
and  know  little  of  books.  But  if  he  sees 
enough  to  find  the  foot  of  the  cross,  and  trust 
in  Jesus  for  pardon,  I  will  engage  he  shall  not 
miss  heaven.  To  know  Christ  is  the  corner- 
stone of  all  religious  knowledge. 

o-wn  selves  had  fulfilled  the  law  to  the  uttermost." — Bishop 
Latimer.    Sermo7is.  1549. 

"  The  spiritual  hand  whereby  we  receive  the  sweet  offer  of 
our  Saviour  is  faith ;  which  in  short  is  no  other  than  an  affiance 
in  the  Mediator.  Receive  peace,  and  be  happy ;  believe,  and 
thou  hast  received." — Bishop  Hall.  1640. 

"  Justifying  faith  consists  in  these  two  things,  in  having  a 
mind  to  know  Christ,  and  a  will  to  rest  upon*  Him.  Whoso- 
ever sees  so  much  excellency  in  Christ,  that  thereby  he  is 
drawn  to  embrace  Him  as  the  only  Rock  of  salvation,  that 
man  truly  believes  to  justification." — Archbishop  Usher. 
1670. 

"  This  is  the  glad  tidings,  that  we  are  made  righteous  by 
Christ.  It  is  not  a  rightieousness  wrought  by  us,  but  given 
to  us,  and  put  upon  us.  This  carnal  reason  cannot  compre- 
hend, and  being  proud  rejects  and  argues  against  it.  How 
can  this  thing  be  ?  But  faith  closes  with  it  and  rejoices  in  it. 
Without  either  doing  or  suffering,  the  sinner  is  acquitted  and 
justified,  and  stands  as  guiltless  of  breach  as  having  fulfilled 
the  whole  law." — Archbishop  Leighion.  16*70. 

"  Christ  is  now  the  righteousness  of  all  them  that  truly  do 
believe  in  Him.  He  for  them  paid  their  ransom  by  His  death. 
He  for  them  fulfilled  the  law  in  His  life.  So  that  now  in 
Him  and  by  Him  every  true  Christian  man  may  be  called  a 
fulfiller  of  the  law ;  forasmuch  as  that  which  their  infirmity 


126  ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

Faith,  I  say,  and  not  conversion.  A  man 
may  have  been  walking  in  the  broad  way  up 
to  the  very  hour  he  first  hears  the  Gospel.  But 
if  in  that  hearing  he  is  awakened  to  feel  his 
danger,  and  wants  to  be  saved,  let  him  come 
to  Christ  at  once,  and  wait  for  nothing.  That 
very  coming  is  the  beginning  of  conversion. 

Faith,  I  repeat,  and  not  holiness.  A  man 
may  feel  all  full  of  sin,  and  unworthy  to  be 
saved.  But  let  him  not  tarry  outside  the  ark 
till  he  is  better.  Let  him  come  to  Christ  with- 
out delay,  just  as  he  is.  Afterwards  he  shall 
be  holy. 

Reader,  I  call  upon  you  to  let  nothing  move 
you  from  this  strong  ground,  th^t  faith  in  Christ 
is  the  only  thing  needed  for  your  justification. 
Stand  firm  here,  if  you  value  your  soul's  peace. 
I  see  many  walking  in  darkness,  and  having  no 

lacked,  Christ's  justice  has  supplied." — Homily  on  Salvation 
written  hy  Archbishop  Cranmer.  1547. 

"  This  is  the  call  of  the  Gospel,  He  that  dares  trust  Christ 
with  His  soul  upon  the  warrant  of  the  Gospel  shall  be  saved 
forever.  The  Lord  tries  people  this  way.  We  have  no  more 
to  do  but  take  pen  in  hand,  and  say  Amen,  O  Lord :  it  is  a 
good  bargain  and  a  true  word,  and  I  will  trust  my  soul  on  it. 
This  is  believing."— TVai/^.  1690. 


AEE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  127 

light,  from  confused  notions  as  to  what  faith  is. 
They  hear  that  saving  faith  will  work  by  love, 
and  produce  holiness  ;  and  not  finding  all  this 
at  once  in  themselves,  they  think  "they  have  no 
faith  at  all.  They  forget  that  these  things  are 
the  fruits  of  faith,  and  not  faith  itself,  and  that 
to  doubt  W'hether  we  have  faith  because  we  do 
not  see  them  at  once,  is  like  doubting  whether 
a  tree  be  alive,  because  it  does  not  bear  fruit 
the  very  day  we  plant  it  in  the  ground.  I 
charge  you  to  settle  it  firmly  in  your  mind  that 
in  the  matter  of  your  forgiveness  and  justifica- 
tion there  is  but  one  thing  required,  and  that  is 
simple  faith  in  Christ.* 

*  "  St,  Paul  declareth  nothing  on  the  behalf  of  man  con- 
cerning his  justification,  but  only  a  true  and  lively  faith; 
which  nevertheless  is  the  gift  of  God,  and  not  man's  only 
work  without  God,  And  yet  that  faith  doth  not  shut  out  re- 
pentance, hope,  love,  dread,  and  the  fear  of  God,  to  be  joined 
with  faith  in  every  man  that  is  justified  :  but  it  shutteth  them 
out  from  the  ofl&ce  of  justifying." — Homily  on  Salvation,  hy 
Archbishop  Cranmer.  154*7, 

"  How  is  the  great  benefit  of  justification  applied  to  me, 
and  apprehended  by  us  ?  This  is  done  on  our  part  by  faith 
alone,  and  that  not  considered  as  a  virtue  inherent  in  us 
working  by  love;  but  only  as  an  instrument  or  hand  of  the 
soul  stretched  forth  to  lay  hold  on  the  Lord  our  righteous- 
ness."— Archbishop  Usher.  1610. 


128  AEE   YOU  FORGIVEK. 

I  know  well  that  the  natural  heart  dislikes 
this  doctrine.  It  runs  counter  to  man's  notions 
of  religion.  It  leaves  him  no  room  to  boast. 
Man's  idea  is  to  come  to  Christ  with  a  price  in 
his  hand, — his  regularity,  his  morality,  his  re- 
pentance, his  goodness, — and  so,  as  it  were,  to 
buy  his  pardon  and  justification.  The  Spirit's 
teaching  is  quite  different ;  it  is  first  of  all 
to  believe.  "  Whosoever  helieveth  shall  not 
perish."     (John  iii.   16.) 

Some  say,  such  doctrine  cannot  be  right,  be- 
cause it  makes  the  way  to  heaven  too  easy.  I 
fear  that  many  such  persons,  if  the  truth  were 
spoken,  find  it  too  hard.  I  believe  in  reality  it 
is  easier  to  give  a  fortune  in  building  a  cathe- 
dral like  York  Minster,  or  to  go  to  the  stake 
and  be  burned,  than  thoroughly  to  receive  jus- 
tification by  faith  without  the  deeds  of  the  law, 
and  to  enter  heaven  as  a  sinner  saved  by 
grace.* 

Some  say  this  doctrine  is  foolishness  and  en- 

*  "  It  is  as  truly  as  commonly  said,  that  such  as  think  be- 
lieving easy,  know  not  what  believing  is." — Traill.     1690. 

"  It  is  harder  to  believe  in  Christ  for  righteonsness  than  to 
keep  all  the  commandments,  because  keeping  the  command- 


AEE   YOU    FORGIVEN.  129 

thusiasm.  I  answer,  this  is  just  what  was  said 
of  it  1800  years  ago,  and  is  a  vain  cavil  now, 
as  it  was  then.  So  far  from  the  charge  being 
true,  a  thousand  facts  can  prove  this  doctrine 
to  be  from  God.  No  doctrine  certainly  has 
produced  such  mighty  effects  in  the  world,  as 
the  simple  proclamation  of  free  forgiveness 
through  faith  in  Christ. 

This  is  the  glorious  doctrine  that  was  the 
strength  of  the  apostles  when  they  went  forth 
to  the  Gentiles  to  preach  a  new  religion.  They 
began  a  few  poor  fishermen  in  a  despised  cor- 
ner of  the  earth.  They  turned  the  world  up- 
side down.  They  changed  the  face  of  the  Ro- 
man empire.  They  emptied  the  heathen  tem- 
ples of  their  worshippers,  and  made  the  whole 
system  of  idolatry  crumble  away.  And  what 
was  the  weapon  by  which  they  did  it  all  ?  It 
was  free  forgiveness  through  faith  in  Jesus 
Chinst. 

This  is  the  doctrine  which  brought  light  into 

ments  hath  something  in  the  heart  of  man  agreeing  with  it, 
but  so  hath  not  the  way  of  justification  by  faith." — Philip 
Henry' s  Sermons.     1690. 

9 


130  ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

Europe  300  years  ago,  at  the  time  of  the  blessed 
Reformation,  and  enabled  one  solitary  monk, 
Martin  Luther,  to  shake  the  whole  church  of 
Rome.  Through  his  preaching  and  writing 
the  scales  fell  from  men's  eyes,  and  the  chains 
of  their  souls  were  loosed.  And  what  was  the 
lever  that  gave  him  his  power  ?  It  was  free 
forgiveness  through  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 

This  is  the  doctrine  that  revived  our  own 
church  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century,  when 
Whitefield  and  the  Wesleys,  and  Romaine,  and 
Berridge,  and  Venn  broke  the  wretched  spirit 
of  slumber  that  had  come  over  the  land,  and 
roused  men  to  think.  They  began  a  mighty 
work,  with  little  seeming  likelihood  of  success. 
They  began,  few  in  number,  with  small  en- 
couragement from  the  rich  and  great.  But 
they  prospered.  And  why  ? — Because  they 
preached  free  forgiveness  through  faith  in 
Christ. 

This  is  the  doctrine  which  is  the  true  strength 
of  any  church  on  earth  at  this  day.  It  is  not 
orders,  or  endowments,  or  liturgies,  or  learning, 
that  will  keep  a  church   alive.     Let  free  for- 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  131 

giveness  through  Christ  be  faithfully  proclaim- 
ed in  her  pulpits,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  her.  Let  it  be  buried  or  kept 
back,  and  her  candlestick  shall  soon  be  taken 
away.  When  the  Saracens  invaded  the  lands 
where  Jerome  and  Athanasius,  Cyprian  and 
Augustine,  once  wrote  and  preached,  they  found 
bishops  and  liturgies,  I  make  no  question.  But 
I  fear  they  found  no  preaching  of  free  forgive- 
ness of  sins,  and  so  they  swept  the  churches  of 
those  lands  clean  away.  They  were  a  body 
without  a  vital  principle,  and  therefore  they 
fell.  Let  us  never  forget  the  brightest  days  of 
a  church  are  those  when  Christ  crucified  is 
most  exalted.  The  dens  and  caves  of  the  earth 
where  the  early  Christians  met  to  hear  of  the 
love  of  Jesus,  were  more  full  of  glory  and 
beauty  in  God's  sight  than  ever  was  St.  Peter's 
at  Rome.  The  meanest  barn  at  this  day,  where 
the  true  way  of  pardon  is  offered  to  sinners,  is 
a  far  more  honorable  place  than  is  the  cathe- 
dral of  Cologne  or  Milan.  A  church  is  only 
useful  so  far  as  she  exalts  free  forgiveness 
through  Christ. 


182  AEE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

This  is  the  doctrine  which  of  all  others  is 
the  mightiest  engine  for  pulling  down  the 
kingdom  of  Satan.  The  Greenlanders  were 
unmoved,  so  long  as  the  Moravians  told  them 
of  the  creation  and  the  fall  of  man ;  but  when 
they  heard  of  redeeming  love,  their  frozen 
hearts  melted  like  snow  in  spring.  Preach  sal- 
vation by  the  sacraments,  exalt  the  church 
above  Christ,  and  keep  back  the  doctrine  of  the 
atonement,  and  the  devil  cares  little, — his  goods 
are  at  peace.  But  preach  a  full  Christ  and  a 
free  pardon,  and  then  Satan  will  have  great 
wrath,  for  he  knows  he  has  but  a  short  time. 
John  Berridge  said  he  went  on  preaching  mo- 
rality and  nothing  else,  till  he  found  there  was 
not  a  moral  man  in  his  parish.  But  when  he 
changed  his  plan,  and  began  to  preach  the  love 
of  Christ  to  sinners,  then  there  was  a  stirring 
of  the  dry  bones,  and  a  mighty  turning  to  God. 

This  is  the  only  doctrine  which  w^ill  ever 
bring  peace  to  an  uneasy  conscience,  and  rest 
to  a  troubled  soul.  A  man  may  get  on  pretty 
well  without  it  so  long  as  he  is  asleep  about 
his    spiritual    condition.      But    once   let    him 


AKE   YOU   FORGIVEN".  133 

awake  from  his  slumber,  and  nothing  will  ever 
calm  him  but  the  blood  of  atonement  and  the 
peace  of  Christ.*  How  any  one  can  under- 
take to  be  a  minister  of  religion  without  a  firm 
grasp  of  this  doctrine,  I  never  can  understand. 
For  myself,  I  can  only  say,  I  should  think  my 
office  a  most  painful  one,  if  I  had  not  the  mes- 
sage of  free  forgiveness  to  convey.  It  would 
be  miserable  work  indeed  to  visit  the  sick  and 
dying,  if  I  could  not  say,  "  Behold  the  Lamb 
of  God, — believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
thou  shalt  be  saved."  The  right  hand  of  a 
Christian  minister  is  the  doctrine  of  free  for- 
giveness through  faith  in  Christ.  Give  us  this 
doctrine,  and  we  have  power :  we  will  never 
despair  of  doing  good  to  men's  souls.     Take 

*  "  Man's  conscience  can  never  rest  nor  be  at  peace,  until 
it  be  settled  in  the  full  persuasion  of  remission  of  sins  in  the 
death  and  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ ;  whereby  God  re- 
ceivetli  us  into  His  favor,  and  is  at  one  with  us  through  Him." 
— Archbishop  Sandys.     1585. 

See  also  a  most  interesting  account  of  the  effect  produced 
on  Luther,  when  in  great  distress  of  soul,  by  the  words,  "  I 
believe  in  the  forgiveness  of  sins,"  repeated  to  him  by  an 
aged  monk. — D'Aubigne's  History  of  the  Reformation.  One 
vol.  edition,  page  68. 


134  ARE   YOU  FORGIVEN. 

away  this  doctrine,  and  we  are  weak  as  water. 
We  may  read  the  prayers,  and  go  through  a 
round  of  forms,  but  we  are  like  Samson  with 
his  hair  shorn,  our  strength  is  gone.  Souls 
will  not  be  benefited  by  us,  and  good  will  not 
be  done. 

Reader,  I  commend  the  things  I  have  been 
saj^ing  to  your  notice.  I  am  not  ashamed  of 
free  pardon  through  faith  in  Christ,  whatever 
some  may  say  against  the  doctrine.  I  am  not 
ashamed  of  it,  for  its  fruits  speak  for  them- 
selves. It  has  done  things  that  no  other  doc- 
trine can  do.  It  has  efl?ected  moral  changes 
which  laws  and  punishments  have  failed  to 
work, — which  magistrates  and  policemen  have 
labored  after  in  vain,  which  mechanics'  insti- 
tutes and  secular  knowledge  have  proved 
utterly  powerless  to  produce.  Just  as  the 
fiercest  lunatics  in  Bethlehem  Hospital  became 
suddenly  gentle  when  kindly  treated,  even  so 
the  worst  and  most  hardened  sinners  have  often 
become  as  little  children,  when  told  of  Jesus 
loving  them  and  willing  to  forgive.  I  can  well 
understand  Paul  ending  his  Epistle  to  the  erring 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN".  135 

Galatians  with  that  solemn  burst  of  feehng, 
"God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the 
cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  (Gal.  vi.  14.) 
The  crown  has  indeed  fallen  from  a  Christian's 
head,  when  he  leaves  the  doctrine  of  justifica- 
tion by  faith. 

See  now  how  you  should  ask  yourself 
whether  you  have  really  received  the  truth 
which  I  have  been  dwelling  on,  and  know  it  by 
experience.  Jesus,  and  faith  in  Him,  is  the 
only  way  to  the  Father.  He  that  thinks  to 
climb  into  paradise  by  some  other  road,  will 
find  himself  fearfully  mistaken.  Other  foun- 
dation can  no  man  lay  for  an  immortal  soul 
than  that  of  which  I  have  been  feebly  speak- 
ing. He  that  ventures  himself  here  is  safe. 
He  that  is  off  this  rock  has  got  no  standing 
ground  at  all. 

See  too  how  you  should  seriously  consider 
what  kind  of  a  ministry  you  are  in  the  habit 
of  attending,  supposing  you  have  a  choice. 
You  have  reason  indeed  to  be  careful.  It  is 
not  all  the  same  where  you  go,  whatever  peo- 
ple may  say.     There  are  many  places  of  wor- 


186  ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN". 

ship,  I  fear,  where  you  might  look  long  for 
Christ  crucified,  and  never  find  Him.  He  is 
buried  under  outward  ceremonies, — thrust  be- 
hind the  baptismal  font, — lost  sight  of  under  the 
shadow  of  the  church.  "  They  have  taken 
away  my  Lord,  and  I  know  not  where  they 
have  laid  Him."  Take  heed  where  you  settle 
yourself  Try  all  by  this  single  test,  "  Is  Jesus 
and  free  forgiveness  proclaimed  here  ?"  There 
may  be  comfortable  pews — there  may  be  good 
singing, — there  may  be  learned  sermons.  But 
if  Christ's  Gospel  is  not  the  sun  and  centre  of 
the  whole  place,  do  not  continue  there.  Say 
rather  with  Isaac,  "  Here  is  the  wood  and  the 
fire,  but  where  is  the  Lamb  ?"  Be  very  sure 
this  is  not  the  place  for  your  soul. 

Reader,  remember  these  things,  and  you  will 
be  wise.  I  have  set  before  you  the  w^ay  of  life. 
I  have  told  you  where  pardon  is  to  be  found. 
O  beware  lest  an  offer  being  made  you  of  free 
forgiveness,  any  of  you  should  come  short  of  it, 

III.  Let  me,  in  the  third  place,  encourage 
all  who  wish  to  he  forgiven. 

1  dare  be   sure   this  paper  will  be  read  by 


ARE  YOU   FORGIVEN.  137 

some  one  who  feels  he  is  not  yet  a  forgiven 
soul.  My  heart's  desire  and  prayer  is,  that  such 
an  one  may  seek  his  pardon  at  once.  And  I 
would  fain  help  him  forward,  by  showing  him 
the  kind  of  forgiveness  offered  to  him,  and  the 
glorious  privileges  within  his  reach. 

Listen  to  me  then,  while  I  try  to  exhibit  to 
you  the  treasures  of  Gospel  forgiveness.  I 
cannot  describe  its  fulness  as  I  ought.  Its 
riches  are  indeed  unsearchable.  (Ephes.  iii.  8.) 
But  if  you  turn  awa}^  from  it,  you  shall  not  be 
able  to  say  in  the  day  of  judgment,  you  did  not 
at  all  know  what  it  was. 

Consider  then  for  one  thing,  that  the  forgive- 
ness set  before  you  is  a  great  and  broad  for- 
giveness. Hear  what  the  Prince  of  Peace 
Himself  declares,  "  All  sins  shall  be  forgiven 
unto  the  sons  of  men,  and  blasphemies  where- 
with-soever  they  shall  blaspheme."  (Mark  iii. 
28.)  "  Though  your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they 
shall  become  white  as  snow ;  though  they  be 
red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool." 
(Isaiah  i.  18.)  Yes!  though  your  trespasses  be 
more  in  number  than  the  hairs  of  your  head, 


138  AEE   YOU   FORGIVEN". 

the  stars  in  heaven,  the  leaves  of  the  forest,  the 
blades  of  grass,  the  grains  of  sand  on  the  sea- 
shore, still  they  can  be  all  pardoned.  As  the 
waters  of  Noah's  flood  covered  over  and  hid 
the  tops  of  the  highest  hills,  so  can  the  blood 
of  Jesus  cover  over  and  hide  your  mightiest 
sins.  "His  blood  cleanseth  from  all  sin."  (1 
John  i.  7.)  Though  to  you  they  seem  written 
with  the  point  of  a  diamond,  they  can  all  be 
effaced  from  the  book  of  God's  remembrance 
by  that  precious  blood.  Paul  names  a  long  list 
of  abominations  which  the  Corinthians  had 
committed,  and  then  says,  "such  were  some  of 
you,  but  ye  are  washed."  (1  Cor.  vi.  11.) 

Furthermore,  it  is  a  full  and  complete  for- 
giveness. It  is  not  like  David's  pardon  to  Ab- 
salom,— a  permission  to  return  home,  but  not 
a  full  restoration  to  favor.  (2  Sam.  xiv.  24.)  It 
is  not,  as  some  fancy,  a  mere  letting  off',  and 
letting  alone.  It  is  a  pardon  so  complete,  that 
he  who  has  it  is  reckoned  as  righteous  as  if  he 
had  never  sinned  at  all*     His  iniquities  are 

*  "  It  is  not  therefore,  O  soul,  a  mere  negative  mercy  that 
God  intends  thee  in  the  pardon  of  thy  sins  :  it  is  not  merely 


AEE  you  rOEGIVEN.  139 

blotted  out.  They  are  removed  from  him  as 
far  as  the  east  and  the  west.  (Psalm  ciii.  12.) 
There  remains  no  condemnation  for  him.  The 
Father  sees  him  joined  to  Christ,  and  is  well 
pleased.  The  Son  beholds  him  clothed  with 
His  own  righteousness,  and  says,  "  Thou  art 
all  fair,  there  is  no  spot  in  thee."  (Cant.  iv.  7.) 
Blessed  be  God  that  it  is  so.  I  verily  believe 
if  the  best  of  us  all  had  only  one  blot  left  for 
himself  to  wipe  out,  he  would  miss  eternal  life. 
If  the  holiest  child  of  Adam  were  in  heaven 
all  but  his  litle  finger,  and  to  get  in  depended 
on  himself,  I  am  sure  he  would  never  enter  the 
kingdom.  If  Noah,  Daniel,  and  Job,  had  had 
but  one  day's  sins  to  wash  away,  they  would 
never  have  been  saved.  Praised  be  God  that 
in  the  matter  of  our  pardon  there  is  nothing 
left  for  man  to  do.     Jesus  does  all,  and  man 


the  removing  of  the  curse  and  wrath  which  thy  sins  have  de- 
served, though  that  alone  can  never  be  sufficiently  admired. 
But  the  same  hand  that  plucks  thee  out  of  hell  by  pardoning, 
grace  and  mercy,  lifts  thee  up  to  heaven  by  what  it  gives 
thee  together  with  thy  pardon,  even  a  right  and  title  to 
the  glorious  inheritance  of  saints  above." — Bishop  Hopkins. 
1680. 


140  ARE  YOU  FORGIVEN. 


has  only  to  hold  out  an  empty  hand  and  re- 
ceive. 

Furthermore,  it  is  a  free  and  unconditional 
forgiveness.     It  is  not  burdened  with  an  "  if," 
like   Solomon's  pardon   to   Adonijah,    "If  he 
will  show  himself  a  worthy  man."     (1  Kings  i. 
52.)     Nor  yet  are  you  obliged  to  carry  a  price 
in  your  hand,  or  bring  a  character  with  you  to 
prove   yourself  deserving   of    mercy.      Jesus 
requires  but  one  character,  and  that  is,  that 
you  should  feel  yourself  a  sinful  bad  man.     He 
invites  you  to   "  buy  wine  and   milk  without 
money  and  without  price,"  and  declares,  "  Who- 
soever will,   let   him    take    the    water   of  life 
freely."     (Isaiah  Iv.   1.  Rev.  xxii.  17.)      Like 
David  in  the  cave  of  AduUam,  He  receives 
"every  one  that  feels  in  distress  and  a  debtor," 
and  rejects  none.    (1  Sam.  xxii.  2.)     Are  you 
a  sinner?     Do  you  want  a  Saviour?     Then 
come  to  Jesus,  just  as  you   are,  and  your  soul 
shall  live. 

Again,  it  is  an  offered  forgiveness.  I  have 
read  of  earthly  kings  who  knew  not  how  to 
show  mercy, — of  Henry  the  Eighth  of  Eng- 


AEE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  141 

land,  who  spared  neither  man  nor  woman  ;  of 
James  the  Fifth  of  Scotland,  who  would  never 
show  favor  to  a  Douglas.  The  King  of  kings 
is  not  hke  them.  He  calls  on  man  to  come  to 
Him  and  be  pardoned.  "  Unto  you,  O  men,  I  call, 
and  my  voice  is  to  the  sons  of  men."  (Prov. 
viii.  4.)  "  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come 
ye  to  the  waters."  (Isaiah  Iv.  1.)  "If  any 
man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink." 
(John  vii.  37.)  "  Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that 
labor  and  are  heavy-laden,  and  I  will  give  you 
rest."  (Matt.  xi.  28.)  O  Reader,  it  ought  to 
be  a  great  comfort  to  you  and  me  to  hear  of 
any  pardon  at  all ;  but  to  hear  Jesus  Himself 
inviting  us,  to  see  Jesus  Himself  holding  out 
his  hand  to  us, — the  Saviour  seeking  the  sin- 
ner before  the  sinner  seeks  the  Saviour, — 
this  is  encouragement,  this  is  strong  consola- 
tion indeed. 

Again,  it  is  a  willing  forgiveness.  I  have 
heard  of  pardons  granted  in  reply  to  long 
entreaty,  and  wrung  out  by  much  importunity. 
King  Edward  the  Third  of  England  would 
not  spare  the  citizens  of  Calais  till  they  came 


142  AEE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

to  him  with  halters  round  their  necks,  and 
his  own  queen  interceded  for  them  on  her 
knees.  But  Jesus  is  "  good  and  ready  to  for- 
give." (Psalm  Ixxxvi.  5.)  He  delighteth  in 
mercy.  (Micah  vii.  18.)  Judgment  is  his 
strange  work.  He  is  not  willing  that  any 
sliould  perish.  (2  Peter  iii.  9.)  He  would  fain 
have  all  men  saved,  and  come  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth.  (1  Tim.  ii.  4.)  He  wept  over 
unbelieving  Jerusalem.  "  As  I  live,"  He  says, 
"I  have  no  pleasure  in  the  death  of  the 
wicked.  Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  from  your  evil 
ways:  why  will  ye  die?"  (Ezek.  xxxiii.  11.) 
Ah !  Reader,  you  and  I  may  well  come  boldly 
to  the  throne  of  grace.  He  who  sits  there  is 
far  more  willing  and  ready  to  give  mercy  than 
you  and  I  to  receive  it. 

Beside  this,  it  is  a  tried  forgiveness.  Thou- 
sands and  tens  of  thousands  have  sought  for 
pardon  at  the  mercy-seat  of  Christ,  and  not 
one  has  ever  returned  to  say  that  he  sought 
in  vain.  Sinners  of  every  name  and  nation, 
— sinners  of  every  sort  and  description,  have 
knocked   at   the   door  of  the  fold,   and   none 


ARE   YOU   FOEGIVEN.  143 

have  ever  been  refused  admission.  Zacchaeus 
the  extortioner,  Magdalen  the  harlot,  Saul  the 
persecutor,  Peter  the  denier  of  his  Lord,  the 
Jews  who  crucified  the  Prince  of  life,  the  idola- 
trous Athenians,  the  adulterous  Corinthians, 
the  ignorant  Africans,  the  blood-thirsty  New 
Zealanders, — all  have  ventured  their  souls  on 
Christ's  promises  of  pardon,  and  none  have 
ever  found  them  fail.  Ah !  Reader,  if  the  way 
I  set  before  you  were  a  new  and  untravelled 
way,  you  might  well  feel  faint-hearted.  But 
it  is  not  so.  It  is  an  old  path.  It  is  a  path 
worn  by  the  feet  of  many  pilgrims,  and  a  path 
in  which  the  footsteps  are  all  one  way.  The 
treasury  of  Christ's  mercies  has  never  been 
found  empty.  The  well  of  living  waters  has 
never  proved  dry. 

Beside  this,  it  is  a  present  forgiveness.  All 
that  believe  in  Jesus  are  at  once  justified 
from  all  things.  (Acts  xiii.  38.)  The  very 
day  the  younger  son  returned  to  his  father's 
house,  he  was  clothed  with  the  best  robe,  had 
the  ring  put  on  his  hand  and  the  shoes  on 
his  feet.  (Luke  xv.)     The  very  day  Zacchaeus 


144  ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 


received  Jesus  he  heard  those  comfortable 
words,  "  This  day  is  salvation  come  to  this 
house."  (Luke  xix.  9.)  The  very  day  that 
David  said,  "  I  have  sinned  against  the  Lord," 
he  was  told  by  Nathan,  "  The  Lord  also  hath 
put  away  thy  sin."  (2  Sam.  xii.  13.)  The  very 
day  you  first  flee  to  Christ  your  sins  are  all 
removed.  Your  pardon  is  not  a  thing  far 
away,  to  be  obtained  only  by  hard  work,  and 
after  many  years.  It  is  nigh  at  hand.  It  is 
close  to  you,  within  your  reach,  all  ready  to 
be  bestowed.  Believe,  and  that  very  moment 
it  is  your  own.  "  He  that  believeth  is  not 
condemned."  (John  iii.  18.)  It  is  not  said, 
"  He  shall  not  be,"  or  "  will  not  be,"  but  "  is 
not."  From  the  time  of  his  believing  condem- 
nation is  gone.  "  He  that  believeth  hath  ever- 
lasting life."  (John  iii.  36.)  It  is  not  said,  "  He 
shall  have,"  or  "  will  have,"  it  is  "  hath:'  It  is 
his  own  as  surely  as  if  he  was  in  heaven, 
though  not  so  evidently  so  to  his  own  eyes. 
Ah!  Reader,  you  must  not  think  forgiveness 
will  be  nearer  to  a  believer  in  the  day  of 
judgment    than    it  was    in-  the  hour  he  first 


AEE  YOU  FOEGIVEN.  145 

believed.  His  complete  salvation  from  the 
power  of  sin  is  every  year  nearer  and  nearer 
to  him,  but  as  to  his  forgiveness  and  justifi- 
cation, it  is  a  finished  work  from  the  very 
minute  he  first  commits  himself  to  Christ. 

Last,  and  best  of  all,  it  is  an  everlasting 
forgiveness.  It  is  not  like  Shimei's  pardon,  a 
pardon  that  may  some  time  be  revoked  and 
taken  away.  (1  Kings  ii.  9.)  Once  justified, 
you  are  justified  forever.  Once  written  down 
in  the  book  of  life,  your  name  shall  never 
be  blotted  out.  The  sins  of  God's  children  are 
said  to  be  cast  into  the  depths  of  the  sea, — to 
be  sought  for  and  not  found, — to  be  remember- 
ed no  more, — to  be  cast  behind  God's  back. 
(Mic.  vii.  19.  Jerem.  1.  60,  xxxi.  34.  Isaiah 
xxxviii.  17.)  Some  people  fancy  they  may  be 
justified  one  year,  and  condemned  another, — 
children  of  adoption  at  one  time,  and  strangers 
by-and-by, — heirs  of  the  kingdom  in  the  begin- 
ning of  their  days,  and  yet  servants  of  the 
devil  in  their  end.  I  cannot  find  this  in  the 
Bible  ; — as  the  New  Zealander  told  the  Romish 
priest,  I  do  not  see  it  in  the  book.    It  seems  to 

10 


146  AEE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

me  to  overturn  the  good  news  of  the  Gospel 
altogether,  and  to  tear  up  its  comforts  by  the 
roots.  I  believe  the  salvation  Jesus  ofters  is 
an  everlasting  salvation,  and  a  pardon  once 
sealed  with  His  blood  shall  never  be  reversed. 

Reader,  I  have  set  before  you  the  nature  of 
the  forgiveness  offered  to  you.  I  have  told 
you  but  a  little  of  it,  for  my  words  are  weaker 
than  my  will.  The  half  of  it  remains  untold. 
The  greatness  of  it  is  far  more  than  any  report 
of  mine.*  But  I  think  I  have  said  enough  to 
show  you  it  is  worth  the  seeking,  and  I  can 
wish  you  nothing  better  than  that  you  may 
strive  to  make  it  your  own. 

Do  you  call  it  nothing  to  look  forward  to 
death  without  fear,  and  to  judgment  without 
doubtings,  and  to  eternity  without  a  sinking 
heart?  Do  you  call  it  nothing  to  feel  the  world 
slipping  from  your  grasp,  and  to  see  the  grave 

*  Who  is  a  God  like  unto  thee  ?  None  can  pardon  as  thou 
dost.  None  can  pardon  so  freely, — none  so  fully, — none  so 
continually, — none  so  eternally, — none  so  indifferently, — 
whether  in  respect  of  sinners  or  sin,  as  thou  dost.  It  is  all 
one  to  thee  what  the  sins  are,  and  all  one  to  thee  whose  the 
sins  are,  so  they  come  to  ask  thy  pardon." — Joseph  Caryl. 
1670. 


AEE   YOU   FOEGIVEN.  147 

getting  ready  for  you,  and  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death  opening  before  your  eyes,  and 
yet  not  be  afraid  ?  Do  you  call  it  nothing  to  be 
able  to  think  of  the  great  day  of  account,  the 
throne,  the  books,  the  Judge,  the  assembled 
worlds,  the  revealing  of  secrets,  the  final  sen- 
tence, and  yet  to  feel,  "  I  am  safe  ?"  This  is  the 
portion,  and  this  the  privilege  of  a  forgiven  soul. 

Such  an  one  is  on  a  rock.  When  the  rain 
of  God's  wrath  descends,  and  the  floods  come, 
and  the  winds  blow,  his  feet  shall  not  slide,  his 
habitation  shall  be  sure. 

Such  an  one  is  in  an  ark.  When  the  last 
fiery  deluge  is  sweeping  over  all  things  on  the 
surface  of  the  earth,  it  shall  not  come  nigh 
him.  He  shall  be  caught  up  and  barne  securly 
above  it  all. 

Such  an  one  is  in  a  hiding  place.  When 
God  arises  to  judge  terribly  the  earth,  and  men 
are  calling  to  rocks  and  mountains  to  fall  upon 
them  and  cover  them,  the  everlasting  arms 
shall  be  thrown  around  him,  and  the  storm 
shall  pass  over  his  head.  He  shall  abide  under 
the  shadow  of  the  Almighty. 


148  AKE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

Such  an  one  is  in  a  city  of  refuge.  The 
accuser  of  the  brethren  can  lay  no  charge 
against  him.  The  law  cannot  condemn  him. 
There  is  a  wall  between  him  and  the  avenger 
of  blood.  The  enemies  of  his  soul  cannot  hurt 
him.     He  is  in  a  secure  sanctuary. 

Such  an  one  is  rich.  He  has  treasure  in 
heaven  which  cannot  be  affected  by  worldly 
changes,  compared  to  which  Peru  and  Califor- 
nia are  nothing  at  all.  He  need  not  envy  the 
richest  merchants  and  bankers.  He  has  a  por- 
tion that  will  endure  when  bank-notes  and  sov- 
ereigns are  worthless  things.  He  can  say  like 
the  Spanish  ambassador,  when  shown  the 
treasury  at  Venice,  "My  master's  treasury 
has  no  bottom."*       He  has  Christ. 

Such  an  one  is  insured.  He  is  ready  for 
anything  that  may  happen.  Nothing  can  harm 
him.  Banks  may  break,  and  governments  may 
be  overturned.  Famine  and  pestilence  may 
rage  around  him.     Sickness  and  sorrow  may 

*  This  was  said  boastfully,  at  a  time  -when  the  gold  mines 
of  Mexico  and  South  America  formed  part  of  the  possessions 
of  the  Spanish  crown. 


ARE   YOU   FOEQIVEN.  149 

visit  his  own  fireside.  But  still  he  is  ready, 
for  all, — ready  for  health,  ready  for  disease, — 
ready  for  tears,  ready  for  joy, — ready  for  pov- 
erty, ready  for  plenty, — ready  for  life,  ready  for 
death.  He  has  Christ.  He  is  a  pardoned  soul. 
"  Blessed"  indeed  "  is  he  whose  transgression  is 
forgiven,  and  whose  sin  is  covered."  Psalm 
xxxii.  1.)* 

*  "  If  we  have  Christ,  then  have  vre  with  Him  and  by  Him, 
all  good  things  whatsoever  we  can  in  om*  hearts  wish  or  de- 
sire,— as  victory  over  death,  sin,  and  hell ;  we  have  the  favor 
of  God,  peace  with  Him,  holiness,  wisdom,  justice,  power,  life, 
and  redemption ;  we  have  by  Him  perpetual  health,  wealth, 
joy,  and  bliss  everlasting."— ^CA^trc/j  of  England  Homily  of 
the  fear  of  death.    154Y. 

"  He  that  hath  got  a  view  of  Christ,  and  reads  his  own  par- 
don in  Christ's  sufferings,  can  rejoice  in  this  in  the  midst  of 
all  other  sufferings,  and  look  on  death  without  apprehension, 
yea  with  gladness, — for  the  sting  is  out,  Christ  hath  made 
all  pleasant  to  him  by  this  one  thing,  that  He  suffered  once 
for  sins.  Christ  hath  perfumed  the  cross  and  the  grave,  and 
made  all  sweet.  The  pardoned  man  finds  himself  light, 
skips,  and  leaps,  and  through  Christ  strengthening  him  can 
encounter  any  troubles,  yea  he  can  submit  patiently  to  the 
Lord  in  any  correction.  Thou  hast  forgiven  my  sin,  there- 
fore deal  with  me  as  thou  wilt :  all  is  well." — Archbishop 
Leighton.    1670. 

"  A  believer  is  a  rich  man  and  an  honorable,  even  if  he 
be  a  beggar  on  the  dunghill.  Christ  cannot  be  poor,  and 
he  is  a  fellow -heir  with  Christ." — Rutherford's  Christ  Dying. 
1647. 


150  ARE  YOtr  FORGIVEN. 

Reader,  how  will  you  escape  if  you  neglect 
so  great  salvation  ?  Why  should  you  not  lay 
hold  on  it  at  once,  and  say,  Pardon  me,  even 
me  also,  O  my  Saviour.  What  would  you  have, 
if  the  way  I  have  set  before  you  does  not  sat- 
isfy you  ?  Come  while  the  door  is  open.  Ask, 
and  you  shall  receive. 

IV.  Let  me  give  you,  in  the  last  place,  some 
marks  of  having  found  forgiveness. 

I  dare  not  leave  out  this  point.  Too  many 
persons  presume  they  are  forgiven,  who  have 
no  evidences  to  show.  Not  a  few  cannot  think 
it  possible  they  are  forgiven,  who  are  plainly 
in  the  way  to  heaven,  though  they  may  not  see 
it  themselves.  I  would  fain  raise  hope  in  some, 
and  self-inquiry  in  others ;  and  to  do  this,  let 
me  tell  you  the  leading  marks  of  a  forgiven 
soul. 

Forgiven  souls  hate  sin.  They  can  enter 
most  fully  into  the  words  of  our  Communion 
Service,  "  the  remembrance  of  sin  is  grievous 
unto  them,  and  the  burden  of  it  is  intolerable." 
It  is  the  serpent  which  bit  them :  how  should 
they  not  shrink  from  it  with  horror  ?     It  is  the 


ARE   YOU   F^EGIVEN.  151 

poison  which  brought  them  to  the  brink  of  eter- 
nal death  :  how  should  they  not  loathe  it  with 
a  Godly  disgust  ?  It  is  the  Egyptian  enemy 
which  kept  them  in  hard  bondage :  how  should 
not  the  very  memory  of  it  be  bitter  to  their 
hearts  ?  It  is  the  disease  of  which  they  carry 
the  marks  and  scars  about  them,  and  from 
which  they  scarcely  recovered :  well  may  they 
dread  it,  flee  from  it,  and  long  to  be  delivered 
altogether  from  its  power.  Remember  how 
the  woman  in  Simon's  house  wept  over  the  feet 
of  Jesus.  (Luke  vii.  38.)  Remember  how  the 
Ephesians  publicly  burned  their  wicked  books. 
(Acts  xix.  19.)  Remember  how  Paul  mourned 
over  his  youthful  transgressions,  '•'  I  am  not 
meet  to  be  called  an  apostle,  because  I  perse- 
cuted the  church  of  God."  (I  Cor.  xv.  9.)  Ah ! 
Reader,  if  you  and  sin  are  friends,  you  and 
God  are  not  yet  reconciled.  You  are  not  meet 
for  heaven,  for  one  main  part  of  heaven's  ex- 
cellence is  the  absence- of  all  sin.* 

*  "  If  thou  have  no  mind  to  leave  sin,  and  sin  grieveth  thee 
not,  and  thou  art  content  to  go  forward  in  the  same,  and  thou 
deligbtest  in  it,  and  hatest  it  not,  neither  feelest  what  sin  is ; 


152  ARE   YOU  FORGIVEN. 

Forgiven  souls  love  Christ.  This  is  that  one 
thing  they  can  say,  if  they  dare  say  nothing 
else, — they  do  love  Christ.  His  person,  His 
office,  His  work,  His  name,  His  cross.  His  blood, 
His  words,  His  example.  His  day,  His  ordi- 
nances, all,  all  are  precious  to  forgiven  souls. 
The  ministry  which  exalts  Him  most,  is  that 
which  they  enjoy  most.  The  Books  which 
are  most  full  of  Him,  are  most  pleasant  to 
their  minds.  The  people  on  earth  they  feel 
most  drawn  to,  are  those  in  whom  they  see 
something  of  Christ.  His  name  is  as  ointment 
poured  forth,  and  comes  with  a  peculiar 
sweetness  to  their  ears.  (Cant.  i.  3.)  They 
would  tell  you  they  cannot  help  feeling  as  they 

— when  thou  art  in  such  a  case,  then  thou  hast  no  faith,  and 
therefore  art  like  to  perish  everlastingly." — Bishop  Latimer, 
154*7. 

"The  real  Christian  is  an  avowed  enemy  of  sin.  Shall  I 
ever  be  friends  with  that,  says  he,  which  killed  my  Lord  ? 
No,  but  I  will  even  kill  it,  and  do  it  by  applying  His  death. 
The  true  penitent  is  sworn  to  be  the  death  of  sin.  He  may 
be  surprised  by  it,  but  there  is  no  possibility  of  reconcile- 
ment between  them.  Thou  that  livest  kindly  and  familiarly 
with  sin,  and  either  openly  declarest  thyself  for  it,  or  hast 
a  secret  love  to  it,  where  canst  thou  reap  any  comfort  ? — 
Not  from  Christ's  sufferings." — Archbishop  Leighton.    16*70. 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  153 

do.  He  is  their  Redeemer,  their  Shepherd, 
their  Physician,  their  King,  their  strong  De- 
liverer, their  gracious  Guide,  their  hope,  their 
joy,  their  all.  Were  it  not  for  Him  they  would 
be  of  all  men  most  miserable.  They  would  as 
soon  consent  that  you  should  take  the  sun  out 
of  the  sky,  as  Christ  out  of  their  religion. 
Those  people  who  talk  of  "  the  Lord,"  and 
"the  almighty,"  and  "  the  Deity,"  and  so  forth, 
but  have  not  a  word  to  say  about  Christ,  are 
in  anything  but  a  right  state  of  mind.  What 
saith  the  Scripture  ?  "  He  that  honoreth  not 
the  Son,  honoreth  not  the  Father  which  hath 
sent  Him."  (John  v.  23.)*  "If  any  man  love 
not  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  anathe- 
ma."    (1  Cor.  xvi.  22.) 

Forgiven  souls  are  humhle.  They  cannot 
forget  that  they  owe  all  they  have  and  hope  for 
to  free  grace,  and  this  keeps  them  lowly.  They 
are  brands  plucked  from  the  fire, — debtors  who 
could  not  pay  for  themselves, — captives  who 

*  "  He  that  lifts  not  up  Christ  above  all  hath  no  interest 
in  Christ  at  all.  He  that  sets  not  Christ  above  all  is  not  a 
disciple  of  Christ." — Thomas  Brooks.     1660. 


154  ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

must  have  have  remained  in  prison  forever, 
but  for  undeserved  mercy, — wandering  sheep 
who  were  ready  to  perish  when  the  Shepherd 
found  them, — and  what  right  then  have  they 
to  be  proud  ?  I  do  not  deny  that  there  are 
proud  saints.  But  this  I  do  say,  they  are  of  all 
God's  creatures  the  most  inconsistent,  —  and 
of  all  God's  children,  the  most  likely  to  stum- 
ble and  pierce  themselves  with  many  sorrows. 
Forgiveness  more  often  produces  the  spirit  of 
Jacob  : — "  I  am  not  worthy  of  the  least  of  all 
the  mercies,  and  of  all  the  truth  which  thou 
hast  showed  unto  thy  servant."  (Gen.  xxxii. 
10) ;  and  of  Hezekiah,  "1  shall  go  softly  all  my 
years"  (Isaiah  xxxviii.  15) ;  and  of  the  apostle 
Paul,  "  I  am  less  than  the  least  of  all  saints, — 
chief  of  sinners."  (Ephes.  iii.  8; — 1  Tim.  i.  15.) 
Reader,  when  you  and  I  have  nothing  we  can 
call  our  own  but  sin  and  weakness,  there  is 
surely  no  garment  that  becomes  us  so  well  as 
humility. 

Forgiven  souls  are  holy.  Their  chief  de- 
sire is  to  please  Him  who  has  saved  them,  to 
do  His   will,   to  glorify  Him  "in   body   and  in 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN".  165 

spirit,  which  are  His.  "  What  shall  I  render 
unto  the  Lord  for  all  His  henefits,"  is  a  leading 
principle  in  a  pardoned  heart.  It  was  the  re- 
naembrance  of  Jesus  showing  mercy  that  nnade 
Paul  in  labors  so  abundant,  and  in  doing  good 
so  unwearied.  It  was  a  sense  of  pardon  that 
made  Zacchseus  say,  "  The  half  of  my  goods 
I  give  to  the  poor,  and  if  I  have  taken  any- 
thing from  any  man  by  false  accusation,  I  re- 
store him  fourfold."  (Luke  xix.  8.)  Reader, 
if  you  point  out  to  me  believers  who  are  i-n  a 
carnal,  slothful  state  of  soul,  I  reply  in  the 
words  of  Peter,  "  They  have  forgotten  they 
were  purged  from  their  old  sins."  (2  Peter  i.  9.) 
But  if  you  show  me  a  man  deliberately  living 
an  unholy  and  licentious  life,  and  yet  boasting 
that  his  sins  are  forgiven,  I  answer  he  is  under 
a  ruinous  delusion,  and  is  not  forgiven  at  all. 
I  would  not  believe  he  is  forgiven,  if  an  angel 
from  heaven  affirmed  it,  and  I  charge  you  not 
to  believe  it  too.  Pardon  of  sin  and  love  of 
sin  are  like  oil  and  water,  they  will  never  go 
together.     All  that  are  washed  in  the  blood 


156  ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 

of  Christ,  are   also  sanctified    by  the   spirit  of 
Christ.* 

Forgiven  souls  are  forgiving.  They  do  as 
they  have  been  done  by.  They  look  over  the 
offences  of  their  brethren.  They  endeavor  to 
walk  in  love,  as  Christ  loved  them,  and  gave 
Himself  for  them.  They  remember  how  God 
for  Christ's  sake  forgave  them,  and  endeavor 
to  do  the  same  toward  their  fellow-creatures. 
Has  He  forgiven  them  pounds,  and  shall  they 
not  forgive  a  few  pence  ?  Doubtless  in  this, 
as  in  everything  else,  they  come  short ; — but 
this  is  their  desire  and  their  aim.  A  spiteful, 
quarrelsome  Christian  is  a  scandal  to  his  pro- 
fession. It  is  very  hard  to  believe  that  such  an 
one  has  ever  sat  at  the  foot  of  the  cross,  has 
ever  considered  how  he  is  praying  against  him- 
self every  time  he  uses  the  Lord's  prayer,  and 
saying  as  it  were,  "  Father,  do  not  forgive  me 

*  "  Are  you  in  a  willing  league  with  any  known  sin  ? 
Yea,  would  you  willingly,  if  you  might  be  saved  in  that 
way,  give  up  yourself  to  volui^tuousness  and  ungodliness, 
and  not  at  all  desire  to  follow  Jesus  Christ  in  the  way  of 
holiness  ?  Then,  truly  I  have  not  anything  to  say  for  your 
comfort." — Archbishop  Leighton.     1670. 


AEE   YOU   FOEGIVEN.  157 

my  trespasses  at  all."  But  it  is  still  harder  to 
understand  what  such  an  one  would  do  in 
heaven,  if  he  got  there.  All  ideas  of  heaven  in 
which  forgiveness  has  not  a  place,  are  castles 
in  the  air,  and  vain  fancies.  Forgiveness  is 
the  way  by  which  every  saved  soul  enters 
heaven.  Forgiveness  is  the  only  title  by  which 
he  remains  in  heaven.  Forgiveness  is  the 
eternal  subject  of  song  with  all  the  redeemed 
who  inhabit  heaven.  Surely  an  unforgiving 
soul  in  heaven  would  find  his  heart  completely 
out  of  tune.  Surely  we  know  nothing  of 
Christ's  love  to  us  but  the  name  of  it,  if  we  do 
not  love  our  brethren. 

Reader,  I  lay  these  things  before  you.  I 
know  well  there  are  great  diversities  in  the 
degree  of  men's  attainments  in  grace,  and  that 
saving  faith  in  Christ  is  consistent  with  many 
imperfections.  But  still  I  do  believe  the  marks 
I  have  just  been  naming  will  generally  be  found 
more  or  less  in  all  forgiven  souls. 

I  cannot  conceal  from  you  these  marks 
should  raise  in  many  minds  great  searchings 
of  heart.     I  must  be  plain.     I  fear  there  are 


158  ARE   YOU   rORGIVEISr. 

thousands  of  persons  called  Christians  who 
know  nothing  of  these  marks.  They  are  bap- 
tized. They  keep  their  church.  They  would 
not  on  any  account  be  reckoned  infidels.  But 
as  to  true  repentance,  and  saving  faith,  union 
with  Christ,  and  sanctification  of  the  Spirit, 
they  are  names  and  words  of  which  they  know 
nothing  at  all. 

Now  if  this  paper  is  read  by  such  persons,  it 
will  probably  either  alarm  them,  or  make  them 
very  angry.  If  it  makes  them  angry,  I  shall 
be  sorry.  If  it  alarms  them,  I  shall  be  glad. 
I  want  to  alarm  them.  I  want  to  awaken  them 
from  their  present  state.  I  want  them  to  take 
in  the  great  fact,  that  they  are  not  yet  forgiven, 
they  have  not  peace  with  God,  and  are  on  the 
high-road  to  destruction. 

I  must  say  this,  for  I  see  no  alternative.  It 
seems  neither  Christian  faithfulness,  nor  Chris- 
tian charity,  to  keep  it  back.  I  see  certain 
marks  of  pardoned  souls  laid  down  in  Scrip- 
ture. I  see  an  utter  want  of  these  marks  in 
many  men  and  women  around  me.  How  then 
can  I  avoid  the  conclusion  that  they  are  not 


ARE   YOU   FORaiVEN.  159 

yet  forgiven?  And  how  shall  I  do  the  work 
of  a  faithful  watchman,  if  I  do  not  write  it 
down  plainly  in  so  many  words  ?  Where  is 
the  use  of  crying  peace,  peace,  when  there  is 
no  peace  ?  Where  is  the  honesty  of  acting 
the  part  of  a  lying  physician,  and  telling  people 
there  is  no  danger,  when  in  reality  they  are 
fast  drawing  near  to  eternal  death  ?  Surely 
the  blood  of  souls  would  be  required  at  my 
hands,  if  I  wrote  to  you  anything  less  than 
the  truth.  "  If  the  trumpet  give  an  uncertain 
sound,  who  shall  prepare  himself  for  the  battle." 
Examine  yourselves  then,  before  this  subject 
is  forgotten.  Consider  of  what  sort  your  re- 
ligion is.  Try  it  by  the  marks  I  have  just  set 
before  you.  I  have  endeavored  to  make  them 
as  broad  and  general  as  I  can,  for  fear  of  caus- 
ing any  heart  to  be  sad  that  God  has  not  made 
sad.  If  you  know  anything  of  them,  though  it 
be  but  a  little,  I  am  thankful,  and  entreat  you 
to  go  forward.  But  if  you  know  nothing  of 
them  in  your  own  experience,  let  me  say  in  all 
affection,  I  stand  in  doubt  of  you.  I  tremble 
for  vour  soul. 


160  ABE   YOU   FOEGIVEN. 

1.  And  now,  before  I  conclude,  let  me  put 
a  home  question  to  every  one  who  reads  this 
paper.  It  shall  be  short  and  plain,  but  it  is  all- 
important, — "  Aj^e  you  forgiven  ?" 

I  have  told  you  all  I  can  about  forgiveness. 
Your  need  of  forgiveness, — the  way  of  forgive- 
ness,— the  encouragements  to  seek  forgiveness, 
— the  marks  of  having  found  it, — all  have  been 
placed  before  you.  Bring  the  whole  subject 
before  your  own  heart,  and  ask  yourself,  "Am 
I  forgiven?  Either  I  am,  or  I  am  not.  Which 
of  the  two  is  it  ?" 

You  believe,  perhaps,  there  is  forgiveness  of 
sins.  You  believe  that  Christ  died  for  sinners, 
and  that  He  offers  a  pardon  to  the  most  un- 
godly. But  are  you  forgiven  yourself?  Have 
you  yourself  laid  hold  on  Christ  by  faith, 
and  found  peace  through  His  blood  ?  What 
profit  is  there  to  you  in  forgiveness,  except  you 
get  the  benefit  of  it  ?  What  does  it  profit  the 
shipwrecked  sailor,  that  the  life-boat  is  along- 
side, if  he  sticks  by  the  wreck,  and  does  not 
jump  in  and  escape  ?  What  does  it  avail  the 
sick   man,  that  the  doctor  offers  him  a  medi- 


AEE   YOU    FORGIVEN.  161 

cine,  if  he  only  looks  at  it  and  does  not  swal- 
low it  ?  Except  you  lay  hold  of  your  own  soul, 
you  will  be  as  surely  lost  as  if  there  was  no  for- 
giveness at  all.* 

Reader,  if  ever  your  sins  are  to  be  forgiven, 
it  must  be  now, — now  in  this  life,  if  ever  in  the 
life  to  come, — now  in  this  world,  if  they  are  to 
be  found  blotted  out  when  Jesus  comes  again. 
There  must  be  actual  business  between  you 

*  "  This  sweet  truth,  that  Christ  died  for  sinners,  and  rose 
again  for  their  justification,  "will  not  help  thee,  unless  thou 
hope  for  thyself;  yea,  thou  wilt  remain  in  thy  old  skin,  while 
using  this  blessed  saying,  as  a  cover  for  thy  sins.  Do  not 
take  this  consolation  ;  for  although  He  died  for  all  and  rose 
again,  yet,  to  thee  He  is  not  risen,  for  thou  hast  not  yet 
apprehended  by  faith  His  resurrection ;  the  words  thou  hast 
heard,  but  their  power  thou  hast  not  experienced." — Martin 
Luther. 

"  This  is  it  which  bringeth  comfort  unto  the  wounded 
soul  and  afilicted  conscience, — not  that  Christ  is  a  Saviour, 
for  what  am  I  the  better  for  that  ? — but  a  Saviour  unto  me. 
What  is  it  to  my  belly  that  bread  is  prepared  for  others,  un- 
less I  be  assured  that  my  part  is  therein  ?  What  is  it  to 
my  soul  that  Christ  died  for  others,  unless  I  know  that  my 
sins  are  washed  away  in  His  blood  ?  It  may  be  good  for 
Moses,  or  Paul,  or  Peter,  or  James,  or  Stephen,  but  what  is  it 
unto  me  ?  It  is  "  mine"  and  "  thine,"  as  Luther  did  well 
teach ;  it  is  "  my"  God  and  "  thy"  Saviour,  which  doth 
satisfy  thirsty  consciences." — Georye  Abbott,  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury.     1612. 

11 


162  AKE   YOU   FOEGIVEN. 

and  Christ.  Your  sins  must  be  laid  on  Him 
by  faith.  His  righteousness  must  be  laid  on 
you.  His  blood  must  be  applied  to  your  con- 
science, or  else  your  sins  will  meet  you  in  the 
day  of  judgment,  and  sink  you  into  hell.  Oh ! 
Reader,  how  can  you  trifle  when  such  things 
are  at  stake  ?  How  can  you  be  content  to 
leave  it  uncertain  whether  you  are  forgiven  ? 
Surely  that  a  man  can  make  his  will,  insure 
his  life,  give  directions  about  his  funeral,  and 
yet  leave  his  soul's  affairs  in  uncertainty,  is  a 
wonderful  thing  indeed. 

2.  Let  me  next  give  a  solemn  warning  to 
every  one  who  reads  this  paper,  and  knows  in 
his  conscience  he  is  not  forgiven. 

Your  soul  is  in  awful  danger.  You  may  die 
this  year.  And  if  you  die  as  you  are,  you  are 
lost  forever.  If  you  die  without  pardon,  with- 
out pardon  you  will  rise  again  at  the  last  day. 
There  is  a  sword  over  your  head  that  hangs  by 
a  single  hair.  There  is  but  a  step  between 
you  and  death.  Oh !  I  wonder  that  you  can 
sleep  quietly  in  your  bed. 

You  are  not  yet  forgiven.    Then  what  have 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEN.  163 

you  got  by  your  religion  ?  You  go  to  church. 
You  have  a  Bible,  you  have  a  prayer-book, 
and  perhaps  a  hymn-book.  You  hear  sermons. 
You  join  in  services.  It  may  be  you  go  to  the 
Lord's  table.  But  what  have  you  really  got 
after  all  ?  Any  hope  ?  Any  peace  ?  Any 
joy  ?  Any  comfort  ?  Nothing,  literally  noth- 
ing !  You  have  got  nothing  but  mere  tempo- 
ral things,  if  you  are  not  a  pardoned  soul. 

You  are  not  yet  forgiven.  But  you  trust 
God  will  be  merciful.  And  why  should  He  be 
merciful,  if  you  will  not  seek  Him  in  His  own 
appointed  way  ?  Merciful  He  doubtless  is, 
wonderfully  merciful  to  all  who  come  to  Him 
in  the  name  of  Jesus.  But  if  you  choose  to 
despise  His  directions,  and  make  a  road  to  heav- 
en of  your  own,  you  will  find  to  your  cost 
there  is  no  mercy  for  you. 

You  are  not  yet  forgiven.  But  you  hope 
you  shall  be  some  day.  I  cannot  away  with 
that  expression.  It  is  like  thrusting  off  the 
hand  of  conscience,  and  seizing  it  by  the  throat 
to  stop  its  voice.  Why  are  you  more  likely  to 
seek  forgiveness  at  a  future  time  ?    Why  should 


164 


ARE   YOU    FORGIVEN. 


you  not  seek  it  now  ?  Now  is  the  time  for 
gathering  the  bread  of  Hfe.  The  day  of  the 
Lord  is  fast  drawing  near,  and  then  no  man 
can  work.  (Exod.  xvi.  26.)  The  seventh 
trumpet  will  soon  sound.  The  kingdoms  of  this 
world  will  soon  become  the  kingdoms  of  our 
God  and  of  His  Christ.  Woe  to  the  house 
which  is  found  without  the  scarlet  line,  and 
without  the  mark  of  blood  upon  the  door! 
(Josh.  ii.  18.  Exod.  xii.  13.) 

Well !  you  may  not  feel  your  need  of  for- 
giveness now.  But  a  time  may  come  when 
you  will  want  it.  The  Lord  in  mercy  grant 
that  it  may  not  then  be  too  late.* 

3.  Let  me  next  give  an  earnest  invitation 
to  all  who  read  this  paper,  and  desire  forgive- 
ness. 

I  know  not  what  you  are,  or  what  you  may 
have  been  in  time  past,  but  I  say  boldly,  Come 

*  "  Those  poor  who  are  without  a  covering  for  their  bodies 
are  to  be  pitied ;  but  with  what  tears  should  we  lament 
those, — how  rich  soever  they  are  in  this  world, — who  are 
without  a  covering  for  their  souls,  and  so  stand  naked  in  the 
storm,  and  under  the  dreadful  droppings  of  the  wrath  of 
Qo^r— Joseph  Caryl.     1650. 


ARE   YOU   FORGIVEK  165 

to  Christ  by  faith,  and  you  shall  have  a  par- 
don. High  or  low,  rich  or  poor,  young  men 
and  maidens,  old  men  and  children, — you  can- 
not be  worse  than  Manasseh  and  Paul  before 
conversion,  than  David  and  Peter  after  con- 
version,— come  all  of  you  to  Christ,  and  you 
shall  be  freely  forgiven. 

Think  not  for  a  moment  that  you  have  some 
great  thing  to  do  before  you  come  to  Christ. 
Such  a  notion  is  of  the  earth,  earthy  ;  the  Gos- 
pel bids  you  come  just  as  you  are.  Man's  idea 
is  to  make  his  peace  with  God  by  repentance, 
and  then  come  to  Christ  at  last :  the  Gospel  way 
is  to  receive  peace  from  Christ  first  of  all,  and 
begin  with  Him.  Man's  idea  is  to  amend  and 
turn  over  a  new  leaf,  and  so  work  his  way  up 
to  reconciliation  and  friendship  with  God  :  the 
Gospel  way  is  first  to  be  friends  with  God 
through  Christ,  and  then  to  work.  Man's  idea 
is  to  toil  up  the  hill,  and  find  fife  at  the  top  : 
the  Gospel  way  is  first  to  live  by  faith  in  Christ, 
and  then  to  do  His  will. 

And  judge  ye,  every  one,  judge  ye  which  is 
true  Christianity  ?     Which  is  the  good  news  ? 


166 


AKE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 


Which  is  the  glad  tidings  ?  First  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit,  and  then  peace ;  or  first  peace,  and 
then  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  ?  First  sanctifica- 
tion,  and  then  pardon ;  or  first  pardon,  and 
then  sanctification  ?  First  service,  and  then 
Hfe  ;  or  first  life,  and  then  service  ?  Reader, 
your  ow^n  heart  can  w^ell  supply  the  answer. 

Come  then,  willing  to  receive,  and  not  think- 
ing how  nfiuch  you  can  bring.  Come,  willing 
to  take  what  Christ  offers,  and  not  fancying 
you  can  give  anything  in  return.  Come  wdth 
your  sins,  and  no  other  qualification  but  a 
hearty  desire  for  pardon,  and  so  sure  as  the 
Bible  is  true  you  shall  be  saved. 

You  may  tell  me  you  are  not  worthy,  you 
are  not  good  enough,  you  are  not  elect.  I  an- 
swer, you  are  a  sinner,  and  you  want  to  be 
saved,  and  what  more  do  you  want  ?  You  are 
one  of  those  whom  Jesus  came  to  save.  Come 
to  Him,  and  you  shall  have  life.*  Take  with 
you  words,  and  He  will  hear  you  graciously. 


*  "  The  longer  thou  dost  live  without  Christ,  the  more 
grains  dost  thou  collect  to  make  the  mountain  of  thy  sins 
higher." — Martin  Luther. 


ARE  YOU   FORGIVEN".  167 

Tell  Him  all  your  soul's  necessities,  and  I  know 
He  will  give  heed.  Tell  Him  you  have  heard 
He  receiveth  sinners,  and  that  you  are  such. 
Tell  Him  you  have  heard  He  has  the  keys  of 
life  in  His  hand,  and  entreat  Him  to  let  you  in. 
Tell  Him  you  come  in  dependence  on  His  own 
promises,  and  ask  Him  to  fulfil  His  word,  and 
do  as  He  has  said.  Do  this  in  simplicity  and 
sincerity,  and,  my  soul  for  yours,  you  shall  not 
ask  in  vain.  Do  this,  and  you  shall  find  Him 
faithful  and  just  to  forgive  your  sins,  and  to 
cleanse  you  from  all  unrighteousness. 

4.  Last  of  all,  let  me  give  a  word  of  ex- 
hortation to  all  forgiven  souls. 

You  are  forgiven.  Then  know  the  full  ex- 
tent of  your  privileges,  and  learn  to  rejoice  in 
the  Lord.  You  and  I  are  great  sinners,  but 
then  we  have  a  great  Saviour.  You  and  I 
have  sinned  sins  that  are  past  man's  knowl- 
edge, but  then  we  have  the  love  of  Christ, 
which  passeth  knowledge,  to  rest  upon.  You 
and  I  feel  our  hearts  to  be  a  bubbling  fountain 
of  evil,  but  then  we  have  another  fountain  of 
greater  power,  even  Christ's  blood,  to  which 


168 


ARE  YOU   FORGIVEN". 


we  may  daily  resort.  You  and  I  have  mighty 
enemies  to  contend  with,  but  then  the  Captain 
of  our  salvation  is  mightier  still,  and  is  ever 
with  us.  Why  should  our  hearts  be  troubled? 
Why  should  we  be  disquieted  and  cast  down  ? 
O  men  of  little  faith  that  we  are !  Wherefore 
do  we  doubt  ?* 

Let  us  strive  every  year  to  grow  in  grace, 
and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  sad  to  be  content  with  a  little  religion.  It 
is  honorable  to  covet  the  best  gifts.  We  ought 
not  to  be  satisfied  with  the  same  kind  of  hear- 
ing, and  reading,  and  praying  which  satisfied 
us  in  years  gone  by.  We  ought  to  labor  every 
year  to  throw  more  heart  and  reality  into  every- 
thing we  do  in  our  religion.  To  love  Christ 
more  intensely, — to  abhor  evil  more  thoroughly, 
— to  cleave  to  what  is  good  more  closely, — to 
watch  even  our  least  ways  more  narrowly, — to 
declare  very  plainly  that  we  seek  a  country, — 
to  put  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  be  cloth- 

*  "  A  great  many  believers  walk  upon  the  promises  at 
God's  call  in  the  way  to  heaven  even  as  a  child  ujDon  weak 
ice,  which  they  are  afraid  will  crack  under  them,  and  leave 
them  in  the  depth"— Traill.     1690. 


ARE  YOU  FORGIVEN.  169 


ed  with  Him  in  every  place  and  company, — 
to  see  more, — to  feel  more, — to  know  more, — 
to  do  more, — to  pray  more  ; — these  ought  to  be 
our  aims   and   desires,  every  year  we   beo-in. 
Truly  there  is  room  for  improvement  in  us  all.* 
Let  us  try  to  do  good  to  the  souls  of  others 
more  than  we  have  done  hitherto.     Alas  !  it  is 
poor  work  indeed  to  be  swallowed  up  in  our 
own  spiritual  concerns,  and  taken  up  with  our 
own  spiritual  ailments,  and  never  to  think  of 
others.     We  forget  that  there  is  such  a  thing 
as  religious  selfishness.     Let  us  count  it  a  sor- 
rowful thing  to  go  to  heaven  alone,  and  let  us 
seek  to  draw  companions  with  us.     We  ought 
never  to  forget  that  every  man,  woman,  and 
child  around  us  will  soon  be  either  in  heaven 
or  hell.     Let  us  say  to   others  as  Moses  did 
to  Jethro,  "  Come  with  us,  and  we  will  do  thee 
good."  (Num.  X.  29.)    O  it  is  indeed  a  true  say- 
ing, "  He  that  watereth  shall  be  watered  him- 

*  "  A  soul  clothed  with  Christ,  stooping  to  any  sinful  de- 
light, or  an  ardent  pursuit  of  anything  earthly,  though  law- 
ful, doth  wonderfully  degrade  itself.  Methinks  it  is  as  a  king's 
sou  in  his  princely  apparel  playing  the  scullion,  sitting  down 
to  turn  the  spit." — Archbishop  Leighton.     1670. 


170  AEE   YOU   FORGIVEISr. 

self."  (Prov.  xi.  25.)     The  selfish  Christian  has 
little  idea  what  he  is  missing. 

But  above  all,  let  us  learn  to  live  the  life  of 
faith  in  Jesus  more  than  w^e  have  hitherto. 
Ever  to  be  found  by  the  fountain  side, — ever 
to  be  eating  Christ's  body  by  faith,  and  drink- 
ing Christ's  blood  by  faith, — ever  to  have  be- 
fore our  minds  Christ  dying  for  our  sins, — 
Christ  rising  again  for  our  justification, — 
Christ  interceding  for  us  at  God's  right  hand, 
— Christ  soon  coming  again  to  gather  us  to 
Himself, — this  is  the  mark  which  we  should 
have  continually  before  our  eyes.  We  may 
fall  short,  but  let  us  aim  high.  Let  us  walk  in 
the  full  light  of  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  and 
then  our  graces  will  grow.  Let  us  not  be  like 
trees  on  a  north  wall,  weak  and  unfruitful,  and 
cold.  Let  us  rather  strive  to  be  like  the  sun- 
flower, and  to  follow  the  great  fountain  of  light 
wherever  He  goes,  and  to  see  Him  with  open 
face.  Oh  for  an  eye  more  quick  to  discern 
His  leadings !  Oh  for  an  ear  more  ready  to 
hear  his  voice  !* 

*  "  Look  not  for  any  blessing  out  of  Christ ;  and  in  and  by 


AEE  YOU  FOEGIVEN.  171 


Let  US  say  to  everything  in  the  world  that 
interferes  between  ourselves  and  Jesus,  "  stand 
aside;"  and  let  us  dread  allowing  ourselves  in 
the  least  evil  habits,  lest  insensibly  they  rise  up 
like  a  mist  and  hide  Him  from  our  eyes.  In  His 
light  alone  shall  we  see  light  and  feel  warmth, 
and  separate  from  Him  we  shall  find  the 
world  a  dark  and  cold  wilderness.  We  sholud 
call  to  mind  the  request  of  the  Athenian  philoso- 
pher when  the  mightiest  monarch  on  earth  asked 
him  what  he  desired  most;  "I  have,"  said  he, 
"  but  one  request  to  make,  and  that  is  that  you 
would  stand  from  between  me  and  the  sun." 
Let  this  be  the  spirit  in  which  you  and  I  are 
found  continually.  Let  us  think  lightly  of  the 
world's  gifts.    Let  us  sit  calmly  under  its  cares. 

and  from  Him  look  for  all  blessings.  Let  Him  be  thy  life  ; 
and  wish  not  to  live  longer  than  thou  art  quickened  by  Him! 
Find  Him  thy  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctification,  re- 
demption ;  thy  riches,  thy  strength,  thy  glovyr— Bishop 
Hall.  1640. 

"  All  our  work  now  is  to  be  well  acquainted  with  Christ 
in  the  way.  Christ  is  both  the  way  and  the  home.  We  must 
be  walking  in  Him  and  travelling  towards  Him :  and  He  is 
our  guide  and  leader  in  the  way.  The  soul  and  life  of  grace, 
is  in  living  on  Him  by  faith,  and  the  happiness  of  heaven  is 
in  living  with  Him  forever."— 2Vaj7/.  1690. 


172  AEE   YOU   FORGIVEN. 


Let  us  care  for  nothing,  if  we  may  only  ever 
see  the  King's  face,  if  we  may  only  ever  abide 
in  Christ. 

And  now,  Reader,  with  every  kind  and  Chris- 
tian wish  for  your  soul's  happiness,  I  commend 
you  to  the  only  wise  God,  our  Saviour.  He  is 
able  to  keep  you  from  falling,  and  to  present 
you  faultless  before  the  presence  of  His  glory 
with  exceeding  joy» 


"holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  lord." 

Heb.  xii.  14. 

Reader, — 

I  offer  you  this  text  as  a  subject  for 
self-inquiry ;  and  I  invite  you  this  day  to  think 
over  the  question  before  your  eyes,  "  Are  you 
holyr 

It  is  a  question  that  can  never  be  out  of 
season.  The  wise  man  tells  us,  "There  is  a 
time  to  weep,  and  a  time  to  laugh, — a  time  to 
keep  silence,  and  a  time  fo  speak ;"  (Eccles. 
iii.  4,  7.)  but  there  is  no  time,  no,  not  a  day,  in 
which  a  man  ought  not  to  be  holy.  Reader, 
are  you  ? 

It  is  a  question  that  concerns  all  ranks  and 
conditions  of  men.  Some  are  rich,  and  some 
are  poor, — some  learned,  and  some  unlearned, 
— some  masters,  and  some  servants ; — but  there 


174  ARE   YOU   HOLY. 

is  no  rank  or  condition  in  life  in  which  a  man 
ought  not  to  be  holy.     Reader,  are  you  ? 

I  ask  to  be  heard  to-day  about  this  question. 
How  stands  the  account  between  your  souls 
and  God  ?  Stay  a  little,  I  beseech  you,  while  I 
reason  with  you  about  holiness.  I  believe  I 
might  have  chosen  a  subject  more  popular  and 
pleasant.  I  am  sure  I  might  have  found  one 
more  easy  to  handle.  But  I  feel  deeply  I  could 
not  have  chosen  one  more  important  and  more 
profitable  to  your  soul.  It  is  a  solemn  thing  to 
hear  God  saying,  "  Without  holiness  no  man 
can  see  the  Lord."  (Heb.  xii.  14.) 

I  shall  endeavor,  by  God's  help,  to  set  before 
you  what  true  holiness  is, — the  reasons  why  it 
is  so  needful, — and  the  way  in  which  alone  it 
can  be  attained.  The  Lord  grant  you  may  see 
and  feel  the  importance  of  the  subject,  and  lay 
down  this  paper,  when  you  have  read  it,  a  wiser 
and  a  better  man. 

L  First  then  let  me  try  to  show  you  what 
true  holiness  is, — what  sort  of  persons  are  those 
whom  God  calls  holy. 

A  man  may  go  great  lengths  and  yet  never 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  175 

reach  true  holiness.  It  is  not  knowledge, — 
Balaam  had  that :  nor  great  profession, — Judas 
Iscariot  had  that :  nor  doing  many  things, — 
Herod  had  that :  nor  zeal  for  certain  matters 
in  religion, — Jehu  had  that :  nor  morality  and 
outward  respectability  of  conduct, — the  young 
ruler  had  that :  nor  taking  pleasure  in  hearing 
preachers, — the  Jews  in  Ezekiel's  time  had 
that :  nor  keeping  company  with  godly  people, 
— Joab  and  Gehazi  and  Demas  had  that.  Yet 
none  of  these  were  holy.  These  things  alone 
are  not  holiness.  A  man  may  have  any  one 
of  them,  and  yet  never  see  the  Lord. 

What  then  is  true  holiness  ?  It  is  a  hard 
question  to  answer.  I  do  not  mean  that  I  find 
a  want  of  matter  on  the  subject.  But  I  fear 
lest  I  should  give  a  defective  view  of  holiness, 
and  not  say  all  that  ought  to  be  said ;  or  lest  I 
should  speak  things  about  it  that  ought  not  to 
be  spoken,  and  so  do  harm.  Suffer  me,  how- 
ever, to  say  a  few  words  that  may  help  to  clear 
your  mind.  Remember  only,  when  I  have  said 
all,  that  my  account  is  but  a  poor  imperfect 
outline  at  the  best. 


176  ARE   YOU   HOLY. 

Holiness  is  the  habit  of  being  of  one  mind 
with  God,  according  as  we  find  His  mind  de- 
scribed in  Scripture.  It  is  the  habit  of  agree- 
ing in  God's  judgment, — hating  what  He  hates, 
— loving  what  He  loves, — and  measuring  every- 
thing in  this  world  by  the  standard  of  His 
word.  He  who  most  entirely  agrees  with  God, 
he  is  the  most  holy  man. 

A  holy  man  will  endeavor  to  shun  every  known 
sin,  and  to  keep  every  known  commandment. 
He  will  have  a  decided  bent  of  mind  towards 
God, — a  hearty  desire  to  do  His  will, — a  greater 
fear  of  displeasing  Him  than  of  displeasing  the 
world,  and  a  love  to  all  His  ways.  He  will 
feel  what  Paul  felt  when  he  said,  "I  delight  in 
the  law  of  God  after  the  inward  man,"  (Rom. 
vii.  22,)  and  what  David  felt  when  he  said,  "  I 
esteem  all  thy  precepts  concerning  all  things 
to  be  right,  and  I  hate  every  false  way."  (Psalm 
cxix.  128.) 

A  holy  man  will  strive  to  be  like  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ;  to  have  the  mind  that  was  in 
Him,  and  to  be  conformed  to  His  image.  It 
will  be  his  aim  to  bear  with  and  forgive  others, 


AKE  YOU  HOLY.  177 

even  as  Christ  forgave  us, — to  be  unselfish,  even 
as  Christ  pleased  not  Himself,  —  to  walk  in 
love,  even  as  Christ  loved  us, — to  be  lowly- 
minded  and  humble,  even  as  Christ  made  Him- 
self of  no  reputation  and  humbled  Himself 
He  will  remember  that  Christ  was  a  faithful 
witness  for  the  truth, — that  He  came  not  to  do 
His  own  will, — that  it  was  His  meat  and  drink 
to  do  His  Father's  will, — that  He  would  stoop 
to  any  work  in  order  to  minister  to  others, — 
that  He  was  meek  and  patient  under  undeserv- 
ed insults, — that  He  thought  more  of  godly 
poor  men  than  of  kings, — that  He  was  full  of 
love  and  compassion  to  sinners, — that  He  was 
bold  and  uncompromising  in  denouncing  sin, — 
that  He  sought  not  the  praise  of  men,  when 
He  might  have  had  it, — that  He  went  about 
doing  good, — that  He  was  separate  from  worldly 
people, — that  He  continued  instant  in  prayer, 
— that  He  would  not  let  even  His  nearest  rela- 
tions stand  in  His  way  when  God's  work  was 
to  be  done.  These  things  a  holy  man  will  try 
to  remember.  By  them  He  will  endeavor  to 
shape  his  course  in  life.     He  will  lay  to  heart 

12 


178  ARE   YOU   HOLY. 

the  saying  of  John,  '•  He  that  saith  he  abideth 
in  Christ  ought  himself  also  so  to  walk,  even  as 
He  walked ;"  (1  John  ii.  6,)  and  the  saying  of 
Peter,  that  "  Christ  suffered  for  us,  leaving  us 
an  example  that  ye  should  follow  His  steps." 
(1  Peter  ii.  21.)  Much  time  would  be  saved, 
and  much  sin  prevented,  if  men  would  oftener 
ask  themselves  the  question,  "  What  would 
Christ  have  said  and  done,  if  He  were  in  my 
place  ?" 

But  time  would  fail  me  if  I  were  to  mention 
all  the  things  which  go  to  make  up  holiness  of 
character.  Still  I  must  ask  you  to  bear  with 
me  while  I  name  a  few  things  which  come  up- 
permost in  my  thoughts.  The  days  we  live  in 
make  me  anxious  that  there  should  be  no  mis- 
take upon  this  subject.  How  can  we  know 
whether  we  are  holy,  unless  we  have  a  clear 
view  of  what  holiness  takes  in  ? 

A  holy  man  will  follow  after  meekness,  long- 
suffering,  gentleness,  kind  temper,  government 
of  his  tongue.  He  will  bear  much,  forbear 
much,  overlook  much,  and  be  slow  to  talk  of 
standing  on  his  rights.     You  see   a   bright  ex- 


AEE  YOU   HOLY.  179 

ample  of  this  in  the  behavior  of  David  when 
Shimei  cursed  him, — and  of  Moses  when  Aaron 
and  Miriam  spake  against  him.  (2  Sam.  xvi, 
10.     Num.  xii.  3.) 

A  holy  man  will  follow  after  temperance  and 
self-denial.  He  will  labor  to  mortify  the  de- 
sires of  his  body, — to  crucify  his  flesh  with  its 
affections  and  lusts, — to  curb  his  passions, — to 
restrain  his  carnal  inclinations,  lest  at  any  time 
they  break  loose.  Oh !  what  a  word  is  that 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  to  the  apostles,  "  Take  heed 
to  yourselves,  lest  at  any  time  your  hearts  be 
overcharged  with  surfeiting  and  drunkenness 
and  cares  of  this  life  ;"  (Luke  xxi.  34,)  and  that 
of  the  apostle  Paul,  "  I  keep  under  my  body 
and  bring  it  into  subjection,  lest  that  by  any 
means  when  I  have  preached  to  others,  I  my- 
self should  be  a  cast-away."   (1  Cor.  ix.  27.) 

A  holy  man  will  follow  after  charity  and 
brotherly  kindness.  He  will  endeavor  to  ob- 
serve the  golden  rule,  of  doing  as  he  would 
have  men  do  to  him,  and  speaking  as  he  would 
have  men  speak  to  him.  He  will  be  full  of 
affection  towards  his  brethren, — their  bodies 


180  ARE   YOU   HOLY. 

their  property,  their  characters,  their  feelings, 
their  souls.  '•  He  that  loveth  another,"  says  Paul, 
"  hath  fulfilled  the  law."  (Rom.  xiii.  8.)  He 
will  abhor  all  lying,  slandering,  backbiting, 
cheating,  dishonesty,  and  unfair  dealing,  even 
in  the  least  things.  The  shekel  and  cubit  of 
the  sanctuary  were  larger  than  those  in  com- 
mon use.  Alas  !  what  condemning  words  are 
the  thirteenth  chapter  of  the  first  of  Corinthi- 
ans, and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  when  laid 
alongside  the  conduct  of  many  professing 
Christians. 

A  holy  man  will  follow  after  a  spirit  of  mercy 
and  henevolence  towards  others.  He  will  not 
stand  all  the  day  idle.  He  will  not  be  content 
with  doing  no  harm, — he  will  try  to  do  good. 
He  will  strive  to  be  useful  in  his  day  and  gen- 
eration, and  to  lessen  the  spiritual  wants  and 
misery  around  him,  as  far  as  he  can.  Such 
was  Dorcas,  full  of  good  works  and  almsdeeds, 
which  she  did, — not  merely  purposed  and 
talked  about,  hut  did.  Such  an  one  was  Paul, 
"I  will  very  gladly  spend  and  be  spent  for  you," 
he  says,   "  though  the  more  abundantly  I  love 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  181 

you  the  less  I  be  loved."  (2  Cor.  xvi.  12, 
15.) 

A  holy  man  will  follow  after  purity  of  heart. 
He  will  dread  all  filthiness  and  uncleanness  of 
spirit,  and  seek  to  avoid  all  things  that  might 
draw  him  into  it.  He  knows  his  own  heart  is 
like  tinder,  and  will  diligently  keep  clear  of  the 
sparks  of  temptation.  Who  shall  dare  to  talk 
of  strength,  when  David  can  fall  ?  There  is 
many  a  hint  to  be  gleaned  from  the  ceremonial 
law.  Under  it  the  man  who  only  touched  a 
bone,  or  a  dead  body,  or  a  grave,  or  a  diseased 
person,  became  at  once  unclean  in  the  sight  of 
God.  And  these  things  were  emblems  and 
figures.  Few  Christians  are  ever  too  watchful 
and  too  particular  about  this  point. 

A  holy  man  will  follow  after  the  fear  of  God. 
I  do  not  mean  the  fear  of  a  slave,  who  only 
works  because  he  is  afraid  of  punishment,  and 
would  be  idle  if  he  did  not  dread  discovery. 
I  mean  rather  the  fear  of  a  child,  who  wishes 
to  live  and  move  as  if  he  was  always  before 
his  father's  face,  because  he  loves  him.  What 
a  noble  example  Nehemiah  gives  us   of  this  ! 


182  AEE   YOU   HOLY. 

When  he  became  governor  at  Jerusalem  he 
might  have  been  chargeable  to  the  Jews,  and 
required  of  them  money  for  his  support.  The 
former  governors  had  done  so.  There  was 
none  to  blame  him  if  he  did.  But  he  says, 
"  So  did  not  I,  because  of  the  fear  of  God." 
(Nehem.  v.  15.) 

A  holy  man  will  follow  after  humility.  He 
will  desire  in  lowliness  of  mind  to  esteem  all 
others  better  than  himself.  He  will  see  more 
evil  in  his  own  heart  than  in  any  other  in  the 
world.  He  will  understand  something  of 
Abraham's  feeling,  when  he  says,  "  I  am  dust 
and  ashes,"  and  Jacob's,  when  he  says,  "  I  am 
less  than  the  least  of  all  thy  mercies,"  and 
Job's,  when  he  says,  "  I  am  vile,"  and  Paul's, 
when  he  says,  "I  am  chief  of  sinners."  Holy 
Bradford,  that  faithful  martyr  of  Christ,  would 
sometimes  finish  his  letters  with  these  words, 
*'  A  most  miserable  sinner,  John  Bradford." 
Good  old  Mr.  Grimshaw's  last  words,  when  he 
lay  on  his  death-bed,  were  these,  "  Here  goes 
an  unprofitable  servant." 

A  holy  man  will  follow  di^QX  faithfulness  in 


AEE   YOU   HOLY.  183 


all  the  duties  and  relations  of  life.  He  will 
try,  not  merely  to  fill  his  place  as  well  as  others, 
but  even  better,  because  he  has  higher  motives 
and  more  help  than  they.  Those  words  of 
Paul  should  never  be  forgotten,  "Whatever 
ye  do,  do  it  heartily  as  unto  the  Lord." — "  Not 
slothful  in  business,  fervent  in  spirit,  serving 
the  Lord."  (Colos.  iii.  23.  Rom.  xii.  IL)  Holy 
persons  should  aim  at  doing  everything  well, 
and  should  be  ashamed  of  allowing  themselves 
to  do  anything  ill,  if  they  can  help  it.  Like 
Daniel,  they  should  seek  to  give  no  occasion 
against  themselves,  except  as  concerning  the 
law  of  their  God.  They  should  strive  to  be 
good  husbands,  and  good  wives ;  good  parents 
and  good  children  ;  good  masters  and  good  ser- 
vants ;  good  neighbors,  good  friends,  good  men 
of  business,  and  good  subjects.  Holiness  is 
worth  little  indeed,  if  it  does  not  bear  this  kind 
of  fruit.  The  Lord  Jesus  puts  a  searching 
question  to  His  people,  when  he  says,  "What 
do  ye  more  than  others  ?"  (Matt.  v.  47.) 

Last,  but  not  least,  a  holy  man   will  follow 
after  spiritital  mindedness.     He  will  endeavor 


184  ARE   YOU   HOLY. 

to  set  his  affections  entirely  on  things  above, 
and  to  hold  things  on  earth  with  a  very  loose 
hand.  He  will  not  neglect  the  business  of  the 
life  that  now  is,  but  the  first  place  in  his  mind 
and  thoughts  will  be  given  to  the  life  to  come. 
He  will  aim  to  live  like  one  whose  treasure  is 
in  heaven,  and  to  pass  through  this  world  like  a 
stranger  and  pilgrim  travelling  to  his  home.  To 
commune  with  God  in  prayer,  in  the  Bible,  and 
in  the  assembly  of  His  people, — these  things 
will  be  the  holy  man's  chiefest  enjoyments. 
He  will  value  every  thing,  and  place,  and  com- 
pany, just  in  proportion  as  it  draws  him  nearer 
to  God.  He  will  enter  into  something  of 
David's  feeling,  when  he  says,  "My  soul  fol- 
loweth  after  thee."  "Thou  art  my  portion." 
(Psalm  Ixiii.  8.  cxix.  57.) 

Such  is  the  outline  of  holiness,  which  I  set 
before  you ;  such  is  the  character  which  those 
who  are  called  holy  follow  after. 

But  here  let  me  say,  I  trust  no  man  will  mis- 
understand me.  I  am  not  without  fear  that  my 
meaning  will  be  mistaken,  and  the  description 
I  have  given  of  holiness  will  discourage  some 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  185 

tender  conscience.  I  would  not  willingly  make 
one  righteous  heart  sad,  or  throw  a  stumbling- 
block  in  any  believer's  way. 

I  do  not  tell  you  for  a  moment  that  holiness 
shuts  out  the  presence  of  indwelling  sin.  No! 
far  from  it.  It  is  the  greatest  misery  of  a  holy 
man  that  he  carries  about  with  him  a  body  of 
death, — that  often  when  he  would  do  good  evil 
is  present  with  him, — that  the  old  man  is 
clogging  all  his  movements,  and,  as  it  were, 
trying  to  draw  him  back  at  every  step  he  takes. 
But  it  is  the  excellence  of  a  holy  man  that  he 
is  not  at  peace  with  indwelling  sin,  as  others 
are.  He  hates  it,  mourns  over  it,  and  longs  to 
be  free  from  its  company.  The  work  of  sanc- 
tification  within  him  is  like  the  wall  of  Jeru- 
salem, the  building  goes  forward,  "even  in 
troublous  times."  (Dan.  ix.  25.) 

Neither  do  I  tell  you  that  holiness  comes  to 
ripeness  and  perfection  all  at  once,  or  that  these 
graces  I  have  touched  on  must  be  found  in  full 
bloom  and  vigor  before  you  can  call  a  man 
holy.  No!  far  from  it.  Sanctification  is 
always    a    progressive    work.      Some    men's 


186 


AEE   YOU   HOLY. 


graces  are  in  the  blade,  some  in  the  ear,  and 
some  are  like  full  corn  in  the  ear.  All  must 
have  a  beginning.  We  must  never  despise  the 
day  of  small  things.  And  sanctification  in  the 
very  best  is  an  imperfect  work.  The  history 
of  the  brightest  saints  that  ever  lived  will 
contain  many  a  "but"  and  "  howbeit,"  and 
"  notwithstanding,"  before  you  reach  the  end. 
The  gold  will  never  be  without  some  dross, — 
the  light  will  never  shine  without  some  clouds, 
until  we  reach  the  heavenly  Jerusalem.  The 
sun  himself  has  spots  upon  his  face.  The  holi- 
est men  have  many  a  blemish  and  defect  when 
weighed  in  the  balance  of  the  sanctuary. 
Their  life  is  a  continued  warfare  with  sin,  the 
world,  and  the  devil ;  and  sometimes  you  will 
see  them  not  overcoming,  but  overcome.  The 
flesh  is  ever  lusting  against  the  spirit,  and  the 
spirit  against  the  flesh,  and  in  many  things  they 
offend  all. 

But  still,  for  all  this,  I  am  sure  that  to  have 
such  a  character  as  I  have  faintly  drawn,  is 
the  heart's  desire  and  prayer  of  all  true  Chris- 
tians.    They  press  towards  it,  if  they  do  not 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  187 

I'each  it.  They  may  not  attain  to  it,  but  they 
always  aim  at  it.  It  is  what  they  fain  would 
be,  if  it  is  not  what  they  are. 

And  this  I  do  mean  to  say,  that  true  holiness 
is  a  great  reality.  It  is  something  in  a  man 
that  can  be  seen,  and  known,  and  marked,  and 
felt,  by  all  around  him.  It  is  light :  if  it  exists 
it  will  show  itself  It  is  salt :  if  it  exists  its 
savor  will  be  perceived.  It  is  a  precious  oint- 
ment :  if  it  exists  its  presence  cannot  be  hid. 

I  am  sure  the  little  I  know  of  my  own  heart 
makes  me  ready  to  make  allowance  for  much 
backsliding,  for  much  occasional  deadness.  I 
know  a  road  may  lead  from  one  point  to 
another,  and  yet  have  many  a  winding  and 
turn ;  and  a  man  may  be  truly  holy,  and  yet 
be  drawn  aside  by  many  an  infirmity.  Gold  is 
not  the  less  gold  because  mingled  with  alloy, 
nor  light  the  less  light  because  faint  and  dim, 
nor  grace  the  less  grace  because  young  and 
weak.  But,  after  every  allowance,  I  cannot 
see  how  any  man  deserves  to  be  called  holy, 
who  wilfully  allows  himself  in  sins,  and  is  not 
humbled  and   ashamed  because   of  them.      I 


188  ARE   YOU   HOLY. 

dare  not  call  any  one  holy  who  makes  a  habit, 
of  wilfully  neglecting  known  duties,  and  wil- 
fully doing  what  he  knows  God  has  commanded 
him  not  to  do.  Well,  says  Owen,  "  I  do  not 
understand  how  a  man  can  be  a  true  believer 
unto  whom  sin  is  not  the  greatest  burden,  sor- 
row, and  trouble." 

Reader,  such  is  holiness.  Examine  yourself 
whether  you  are  acquainted  with  it.  Prove 
your  own  self. 

II.  Let  me  try,  in  the  next  place,  to  show 
you  some  reasons  why  holiness  is  so  important. 

Can  holiness  save  us  ?  Can  holiness  put 
away  sin, — cover  iniquities, — make  satisfac- 
tion for  transgressions, — pay  our  debt  to  God  ? 
No  !  not  a  whit.  God  forbid  that  I  should  ever 
tell  you  so.  Holiness  can  do  none  of  these 
things.  The  brightest  saints  are  all  unprofit- 
able servants.  Our  purest  works  are  no  better 
than  filthy  rags,  when  tried  by  the  light  of 
God's  holy  law.  The  white  robe  which  Jesus 
offers,  and  faith  puts  on,  must  be  our  only 
righteousness, — the  name  of  Christ  our  only 
confidence, — the  Lamb's  book  of  life  our  only 


AEE   YOU   HOLY.  189 

title  to  heaven.  With  all  our  holiness  we  are 
no  better  than  sinners.  Our  best  things  are 
stained  and  tainted  with  imperfection.  They 
are  all  more  or  less  incomplete, — wrong  in  the 
motive,  or  defective  in  the  performance.  By 
the  deeds  of  the  law  shall  no  child  of  Adam 
ever  be  justified.  "  By  grace  are  ye  saved 
through  faith,  and  that  not  of  yourselves,  it  is 
the  gift  of  God  :  not  of  works,  lest  any  man 
should  boast."     (Ephes.  ii.  8,  9.) 

Why  then  is  holiness  so  important  ?  Why 
does  the  apostle  say,  "without  it  no  man  shall 
see  the  Lord  ?"  Let  me  set  before  you  a  few 
reasons. 

For  one  thing  we  must  be  holy,  because  the 
voice  of  God  in  Scripture  plainly  commands 
it.  The  Lord  Jesus  says  to  His  people,  "  Ex- 
cept your  righteousness  shall  exceed  the  right- 
eousness of  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees,  ye  shall 
in  no  case  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven." 
(Matt.  V.  20.)  "  Be  ye  perfect,  even  as  your 
Father  which  is  in  heaven  is  perfect."  (Matt. 
V.  48.)  Paul  tells  the  Thessalonians,  "  This  is 
the   will   of  God,   even   your   sanctification." 


190  ABE   YOU   HOLY. 

(1  Thess.  iv.  3.)  And  Peter  says,  "As  He 
which  hath  called  you  is  holy,  so  be  ye  holy  in 
all  manner  of  conversation.  Because  it  is 
written,  Be  ye  holy  for  1  am  holy."  (1  Peter 
i.  15,  16.)  "In  this,"  says  Leighton,  "law  and 
Gospel  agree." 

We  must  be  holy,  because  this  is  one  grand 
end  and  purpose  for  which  Christ  came  into 
the  world.  Paul  writes  to  the  Corinthians, 
"  He  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live  should 
not  henceforth  live  unto  themselves,  but  unto 
Him  which  died  for  them  and  rose  again." 
(2  Cor.  V.  15.)  And  to  the  Ephesians,  "Christ 
loved  the  Church  and  gave. Himself  for  it,  that 
He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it."  (Ephes.  v. 
25,  26.)  And  to  Titus,  "  He  gave  Himself  for 
us,  that  He  might  redeem  us  from  all  iniquity, 
and  purify  unto  Himself  a  peculiar  people,  zeal- 
ous of  good  works."  (Titus  ii.  14.)  In  short, 
to  talk  of  men  being  saved  from  the  guilt  of 
sin,  without  being  at  the  same  time  saved  from 
its  power  in  their  hearts,  is  to  contradict  the 
witness  of  all  Scripture.  Are  believers  said  to 
be  elect  ? — it  is   "  through  sanctification  of  the 


AKE   YOU   HOLY.  191 

Spirit."  Are  they  predestinated  ? — it  is  "  to 
be  conformed  to  the  image  of  God's  Son."  Are 
they  chosen  ? — it  is  "  that  the}^  may  be  holy." 
Are  they  called  ? — it  is  "  with  a  holy  calling." 
Are  they  afflicted  ? — it  is  that  they  may  be 
"  partakers  of  holiness."  Jesus  is  a  complete 
Saviour.  He  does  not  merely  take  away  the 
guilt  of  a  believer's  sin,  He  does  more, — He 
breaks  its  power. 

We  must  be  holy,  because  this  is  the  only 
sound  evidence  that  we  have  a  saving  faith 
in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  The  twelfth  Arti- 
cle of  our  Church  says  truly,  "  Although  good 
works  cannot  put  away  our  sins,  and  endure 
the  severity  of  God's  judgment ;  yet  are  they 
pleasing  and  acceptable  to  God  in  Christ,  and 
do  spring  out  necessarily  of  a  true  and  lively 
faith ;  insomuch  that  by  them  a  lively  faith 
may  be  as  evidently  known  as  a  tree  discerned 
by  its  fruits."  James  warns  us  there  is  such  a 
thing  as  a  dead  faith, — a  faith  which  goes  no 
further  than  the  profession  of  the  lips,  and  has 
no  influence  on  a  man's  character.  (Jam.  ii. 
17.)     True  saving  faith  is  a  very  different  kind 


192  AEE  YOU  HOLY. 

of  thing.  True  faith  will  always  show  itself 
by  its  fruits,  it  will  sanctify, — it  will  work  by 
love, — it  will  overcome  the  world,  —  it  will 
purify  the  heart.  I  know  that  people  are  fond 
of  talking  about  "death-bed  evidences."  They 
will  rest  on  words  spoken  in  the  hours  of  fear 
and  pain  and  weakness,  as  if  they  might  take 
comfort  in  them  about  the  friends  they  lose. 
But  I  am  afraid  in  ninety-nine  cases  out  of  a 
hundred  such  evidences  are  not  to  be  depended 
on.  I  suspect  men  generally  die  just  as  they 
have  lived.  The  only  safe  evidence  that  you 
are  one  with  Christ,  and  Christ  in  you,  is  a  holy 
life.  They  that  live  unto  the  Lord  are  generally 
the  only  people  who  die  in  the  Lord.  If  we 
would  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  let  us  not 
rest  in  slothful  desires  only,  let  us  seek  to  live 
his  life.  It  is  a  true  saying  of  Traill's,  "  that 
man's  state  is  naught,  and  his  faith  unsound, 
that  finds  not  his  hopes  of  glory  purifying  to  his 
heart  and  life." 

We  must  be  holy,  because  this  is  the  only 
proof  that  we  love  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
sincerity.     This  is  a  point  on  which  He  has 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  193 


spoken  Himself  most  plainly  in  the  fourteenth 
and  fifteenth  chapters  of  John.  "If  ye  love 
me,  keep  my  commandments."  "  He  that  hath 
my  commandments,  and  keepeth  them,  he  it  is 
that  loveth  me."  "If  a  man  love  me  he  will 
keep  my  saying."  "  Ye  are  my  friends  if  ye 
do  whatsoever  I  command  you."  Plainer  words 
than  these  it  would  be  difficult  to  find,  and  woe 
to  those  who  neglect  them  !  Surely  that  man 
must  be  in  an  unhealthy  state  of  soul  who  can 
think  of  all  that  Jesus  sufl^ered,  and  yet  cling  to 
those  sins  for  which  that  suffering  was  under- 
gone. It  was  sin  that  wove  the  crown  of 
thorns, — it  was  sin  that  pierced  our  Lord's 
hands,  and  feet,  and  side, — it  was  sin  that 
brought  Him  to  Gethsemane  and  Calvary,  to 
the  cross,  and  to  the  grave.  Cold  must  our 
hearts  be,  if  we  do  not  hate  sin,  and  labor  to 
get  rid  of  it,  though  we  have  to  cut  off"  the 
right  hand,  and  pluck  out  the  right  eye  in  do- 


ing it. 


We  must  be  holy,  because  this  is  the  only 
sound  evidence  that  we  are  true  children  of 
God.     Children  in  this  world  are  generally  like 


194  ARE  YOU   HOLY. 


their  parents.  Some,  doubtless,  are  more  so, 
and  some  less, — but  it  is  seldom  indeed  that 
you  cannot  trace  a  kind  of  family  likeness. 
And  it  is  much  the  same  with  the  children  of 
God.  If  men  have  no  likeness  to  the  Father 
in  heaven,  it  is  vain  to  talk  of  their  being  His 
sons.  If  we  know  nothing  of  holiness  we  may 
flatter  ourselves  as  we  please,  but  we  have  not 
the  Holy  Spirit  dwelling  in  us, — we  are  dead, 
and  must  be  brought  to  life  again, — we  are 
lost,  and  must  be  found.  As  many  as  are  led 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  they,  and  they  only,  are 
the  sons  of  God.  (Rom.  viii.  14.)  We  must 
show  by  our  lives  the  family  W'e  belong  to, — 
we  must  let  men  see  by  our  good  conversation 
that  we  are  indeed  the  children  of  the  Holy 
One,  or  our  son-ship  is  but  an  empty  name. 
"  Say  not,"  says  Gurnall,  "  that  thou  hast  royal 
blood  in  thy  veins,  and  art  born  of  God,  except 
thou  canst  prove  thy  pedigree  by  daring  to  be 
holy." 

We  must  be  holy,  because  this  is  the  most 
likely  way  to  do  good  to  others.  We  cannot 
live  to  ourselves  only  in  this  world.     Our  lives 


AEE  YOU  HOLY.  195 

will  always  be  doing  either  good  or  harm  to 
those  who  see  them.  They  are  a  silent  ser- 
mon which  all  can  read.  It  is  sad  indeed  when 
they  are  a  sermon  for  the  devil's  cause,  and 
not  for  God's.  I  beheve  that  far  more  is  done 
for  Christ's  kingdom  by  the  holy  living  of  be- 
lievers, than  we  are  at  all  aware.  There  is  a 
reality  about  such  living  which  makes  men 
feel,  and  obliges  them  to  think.  It  carries  a 
weight  and  influence  with  it  which  nothing  else 
can  give.  It  makes  religion  beautiful,  and 
draws  men  to  consider  it  like  a  light-house  seen 
afar  off*.  The  day  of  judgment  will  prove  that 
many  besides  husbands  have  been  won  "  with- 
out the  word,"  by  a  holy  life.  (1  Peter  iii.  1.) 
You  may  talk  to  people  about  the  doctrines  of 
the  Grospel,  and  few  will  listen,  and  still  fewer 
understand.  But  your  life  is  an  argument  that 
none  can  escape.  There  is  a  meaning  about 
holiness  which  not  even  the  most  unlearned 
can  help  taking  in.  They  may  not  under- 
stand justification,  but  they  can  understand 
charity. 

And  I  believe  there  is   far  more  harm  done 


196  ARE   YOU    HOLY. 

by  unholy  and  inconsistent  Christians  than  we 
are  at  all  aware.  Such  men  are  among  Satan's 
best  allies.  They  pull  down  by  their  lives  what 
ministers  build  with  their  lips.  They  cause  the 
chariot  wheels  of  the  Gospel  to  drive  heavily. 
They  supply  the  children  of  this  world  with  a 
never-ending  excuse  for  remaining  as  they  are. 
"  I  cannot  see  the  use  of  so  much  religion," 
said  an  irreligious  tradesmen  not  long  ago ; 
"  I  observe  that  some  of  my  customers  are  al- 
ways talking  about  the  Gospel,  and  faith,  and 
election,  and  the  blessed  promises  and  so  forth  ; 
— and  yet  these  very  people  think  nothing  of 
cheating  me  of  pence  and  half-pence,  when 
they  have  an  opportunity.  Now  if  religious 
persons  can  do  such  things,  I  do  not  see  what 
good  there  is  in  religion."  Oh !  Reader,  I 
blush  to  be  obliged  to  read  such  things.  I  fear 
that  Christ's  name  is  too  often  blasphemed  be- 
cause of  the  lives  of  Christians.  Let  us  take 
heed  lest  the  blood  of  souls  be  required  at  our 
hands.  From  murder  of  souls  by  inconsistency 
and  loose  walking,  good  Lord  deliver  us  !     Oh ! 


ABE  YOU  HOLY.  197 

for  the  sake  of  others,  if  for  no  other  reason,  let 
us  strive  to  be  holy ! 

We  must  be  holy,  because  our  present  com- 
fort depends  much  upon  it.  We  cannot  be 
too  often  reminded  of  this.  We  are  sadly  apt 
to  forget  that  there  is  a  close  connection  be- 
tween sin  and  sorrow,  holiness  and  happiness, 
sanctification  and  consolation.  God  has  so 
v/isely  ordered  it,  that  our  well-being  and  our 
well-doing  are  linked  together.  He  has  merci- 
fully provided  that  even  in  this  world  it  shall 
be  man's  interest  to  be  holy.  Our  justification 
is  not  by  works, — our  calling  and  election  are 
not  according  to  our  works, — but  it  is  vain  for 
any  one  to  suppose  that  he  will  have  a  lively 
sense  of  his  justification,  or  an  assurance  of 
his  calling,  so  long  as  he  does  not  strive  to  live 
a  holy  life.  A  believer  may  as  soon  expect  to 
feel  the  sun's  rays  upon  a  dark  and  cloudy  day, 
as  to  feel  strong  consolation  in  Christ,  while  he 
does  not  follow  Him  fully.  When  the  disciples 
forsook  the  Lord  and  fled,  they  escaped  dan- 
ger, but  they  were  miserable  and  sad.  When 
shortly  after  they  confessed  Him  boldly  before 


198  ARE  YOU   HOLY. 

men,  they  were  cast  into  prison  and  beaten, 
but  we  are  told,  "  They  rejoiced  that  they  were 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  shame  for  His  name." 
(Acts  V.  41.)  Oh  !  for  our  own  sakes,  if  there 
were  no  other  reason,  let  us  strive  to  be  holy ! 
He  that  follows  Jesus  most  fully,  will  always 
follow  Him  most  comfortably. 

Lastly,  we  must  be  holy,  because  without 
holiness  on  earth  we  should  never  he  prepared 
to  enjoy  heaven.  Heaven  is  a  holy  place.  The 
Lord  of  heaven  is  a  holy  Being.  The  angels 
are  holy  creatures.  Holiness  is  written  on 
everything  in  heaven.  The  book  of  Revelation 
says  expressly,  "  there  shall  in  nowise  enter  into 
it,  anything  that  defileth,  neither  whatsoever 
worketh  abomination,  or  maketh  a  lie."  (Rev. 
xxi.  27.) 

Reader,  how  shall  we  ever  find  a  place  in 
heaven,  if  we  die  unholy !  Death  works  no 
change.  The  grave  makes  no  alteration. 
Each  will  rise  again  with  the  same  character 
in  which  he  breathed  his  last.  Where  will 
our  place  be  if  we  are  strangers  to  holiness 
now? 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  199 

Suppose  for  a  moment  that  you  were  allowed 
to  enter  heaven  without  holiness.  What  would 
you  do  ?  What  possible  enjoyment  could  you 
feel  there  ?  To  which  of  all  the  saints  would 
you  join  yourself,  and  by  whose  side  would 
you  sit  down  ?  Their  pleasures  are  not  your 
pleasures,  their  tastes  are  not  your  tastes,  their 
character  not  your  character.  How  could 
you  possibly  be  happy  if  you  had  not  been 
holy  on  earth  ? 

Now  perhaps,  you  love  the  company  of  the 
light  and  the  careless,  the  worldly-minded  and 
the  covetous,  the  reveller  and  the  pleasure- 
seeker,  the  ungodly  and  the  profane.  There 
will  be  none  such  in  heaven. 

Now  perhaps,  you  think  the  saints  of  God  too 
strict,  and  particular,  and  serious.  You  rather 
avoid  them.  You  have  no  delight  in  their 
society.  There  will  be  no  other  company  in 
heaven. 

Now  perhaps,  you  think  praying,  and  Scrip- 
ture reading,  and  hymn-singing,  dull  and 
melancholy,  and  stupid  work,  a  thing  to  be  tol- 
erated now  and  then,  but  not  enjoyed.     You 


200  ARE   YOU   HOLY. 

reckon  the  Sabbath  a  burden,  and  a  weariness  ; 
you  could  not  possibly  spend  more  than  a  small 
part  of  it  in  worshipping  God.  But  remember, 
heaven  is  a  never-ending  Sabbath.  The  in- 
habitants thereof  rest  not  day  or  night,  saying, 
"  Holy,  holy,  holy.  Lord  God  Almighty,"  and 
singing  the  praise  of  the  Lamb.  How  could 
an  unholy  man  find  pleasure  in  occupation 
such  as  this  ? 

Think  you  that  such  an  one  would  delight  to 
meet  David,  and  Paul,  and  John,  after  a  life 
spent  in  doing  the  very  things  they  spoke 
against  ?  Would  he  take  sweet  counsel  with 
them,  and  find  that  he  and  they  had  much  in 
common  ?  Think  you,  above  all,  that  he  would 
rejoice  to  meet  Jesus,  the  Crucified  One,  face 
to  face,  after  cleaving  to  the  sins  for  which  He 
died, — after  loving  His  enemies,  and  despising 
his  friends?  Would  he  stand  before  him  in 
confidence,  and  join  in  the  cry,  "  This  is  our 
God,  we  have  waited  for  Him,  we  will  be  glad, 
and  rejoice  in  his  salvation  ?"  Think  you  not 
rather  that  the  tongue  of  an  unholy  man  would 
cleave  to  the  roof  of  his  mouth  with  shame, 


ARE  YOU   HOLY.  201 

and  his  only  desire  would  be  to  be  cast  out  ? 
He  would  feel  a  stranger  in  a  land  he  knew 
not,  a  black  sheep  amidst  Christ's  holy  flock. 
The  voice  of  Cherubim  and  Seraphim,  the  song 
of  Angels  and  Archangels,  and  all  the  company 
of  heaven  would  be  a  language  he  could  not 
understand.  The  very  air  would  seem  an  air 
he  could  not  breathe. 

Reader,  I  know  not  what  you  may  think, 
but  to  me  it  does  seem  clear,  that  heaven  would 
be  a  miserable  place  to  an  unholy  man.  It 
cannot  be  otherwise.  People  may  say,  in  a 
vague  way,  "  they  hope  to  go  to  heaven,"  but 
they  do  not  consider  what  they  say.  There 
must  be  a  certain  meetness  for  the  inheritance 
of  the  saints  in  light.  Our  hearts  must  be 
somewhat  in  tune.  To  reach  the  holiday  of 
glory  we  must  pass  through  the  training  school 
of  grace.  Reader,  you  must  be  heavenly 
minded,  and  have  heavenly  tastes,  in  the  life 
that  now  is,  or  else  you  will  never  find  yourself 
in  heaven  in  the  life  to  come. 

And  now  let  me  wind  up  all  with  a  few 
words,  by  way  of  application. 


202  AKE    YOU   HOLY. 

1.  For  one  thing,  let  me  ask  every  one  who 
may  read  these  pages,  A7^e  you  holy  ?  Listen, 
I  pray  you,  to  the  question  I  put  to  you  this 
day.  Do  you  know  anything  of  the  hohness 
of  which  I  have  been  speaking  ? 

I  do  not  ask  whether  you  keep  to  your 
church  regularly, — whether  you  have  been 
baptized,  and  receive  the  Lord's  Supper, — 
whether  you  have  the  name  of  Christian ; — I 
ask  something  more  than  all  this,  Are  you  holy, 
or  are  you  not  ? 

1  do  not  ask  whether  you  approve  of  holi- 
ness in  others, — whether  you  like  to  read  the 
lives  of  holy  people,  and  to  talk  of  holy  things, 
and  to  have  on  your  table  holy  books, — 
whether  you  mean  to  be  holy,  and  hope  you 
will  be  holy  some  day, — I  ask  something  fur- 
ther. Are  you  yourself  holy  this  very  day,  or 
are  you  not  ? 

And  why  do  I  ask  so  straitly,  and  press  the 
question  so  strongly  ?  I  do  it  because  the  text 
says,  "Without  holiness  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord."  It  is  written,  it  is  not  my  fancy — it  is 
the  Bible,  not  my  private  opinion, — it  is  the 


AEE   YOU   HOLY.  203 

word  of  God,  not  of  man,  "  Without  holiness 
no  man  shall  see  the  Lord."' 

Oh  !  Reader,  what  words  are  these  !  What 
thoughts  come  across  my  mind,  as  I  write  them 
down !  I  look  at  the  world,  and  see  the  greater 
part  of  it  lying  in  wickedness.  I  look  at  pro- 
fessing Christians,  and  see  the  vast  majority 
having  nothing  of  Christianity  but  the  name. 
I  turn  to  the  Bible,  and  I  hear  the  Spirit  say- 
ing, "  Without  holiness  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord." 

Surely  it  is  a  text  that  ought  to  make  you 
consider  your  ways,  and  search  your  hearts. 
Surely  it  should  raise  within  you  solemn 
thoughts,  and  send  you  to  prayer. 

You  may  try  and  put  me  off.  by  saying, 
"you  feel  much,  and  think  much,  about  these 
things,  far  more  than  many  suppose.'^  I  an- 
swer, This  is  not  the  point.  The  poor  lost 
souls  in  hell  do  as  much  as  this.  The  great 
question  is,  not  what  you  think,  and  what  you 
feel,  but  what  you  do. 

You  may  say,  "  it  was  never  meant  that  all 
Christians  should  be  holy,  and   that  holiness, 


204  ARE   YOU  HOLY. 


such  as  I  have  descrihed,  is  only  for  great 
saints,  and  people  of  uncommon  gifts."  I 
answer,  I  cannot  see  that  in  Scripture.  I  read 
that  "  every  man  who  has  hope  in  Christ,  puri- 
fieth  himself"  (1  John  iii.  3.)—"  Without  holi- 
ness no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.'" 

You  may  say,  "  it  is  impossible  to  be  so  holy, 
and  to  do  our  duty  in  this  life  at  the  same  time: 
the  thing  cannot  be  done."  I  answer.  You  are 
mistaken.  It  can  be  done.  With  God  on  your 
side  nothing  is  impossible.  It  has  been  done 
by  many.  David,  and  Obadiah,  and  Daniel, 
and  the  servants  of  Nero's  household,  are  all 
examples  that  go  to  prove  it. 

You  may  say,  "  if  you  were  so  holy,  you 
would  be  unlike  other  people."  I  answer,  I 
know  it  well.  It  is  just  what  I  want  you  to 
be.  Christ's  true  servants  always  were  unlike 
the  world  around  them,  a  separate  nation,  a 
peculiar  people,  and  you  must  be  so  too,  if  you 
would  be  saved. 

You  may  say,  "  at  this  rate  very  few  will  be 
saved."  I  answer,  I  know  it.  Jesus  said  so 
1800  years  ago.     Few  will  be  saved,  because 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  205 

few  will  take  the  trouble  to  seek  salvation. 
Men  will  not  deny  themselves  the  pleasure  of 
sin,  and  their  own  way  for  a  season.  For  this 
they  turn  their  backs  on  an  inheritance  incor- 
ruptible, undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away. 
"  Ye  will  not  come  unto  me,"  says  Jesus,  "  that 
ye  might  have  life."  (John  v.  40.) 

You  may  say,  "  These  are  hard  sayings, 
the  way  is  very  narrow."  I  answer,  I  know  it. 
Jesus  said  so  1800  years  ago.  He  always  said 
that  men  must  take  up  the  cross  daily,  that 
they  must  be  ready  to  cut  off  hand  or  foot,  if 
they  would  be  His  disciples.  It  is  in  religion 
as  it  is  in  other  things,  "there  are  no  gains 
without  pains."  That  which  costs  nothing  is 
worth  nothing. 

Reader,  whatever  you  may  think  or  say, 
you  must  be  holy,  if  you  would  see  the  Lord, 
Where  is  your  Christianity,  if  you  are  not  ? 
Show  it  to  me  without  holiness,  if  you  can. 
You  must  not  merely  have  a  Christian  name, 
and  Christian  knowledge,  you  must  have  a 
Christian  character  also.  You  must  be  a  saint 
on  earth,  if  ever  you   mean  to  be  a  saint  in 


206  AKE   YOU   HCLY. 

heaven.  God  has  said  it,  and  He  will  not  go 
back, — "  Without  holiness  no  man  shall  see 
the  Lord."  "  The  Pope's  calendar,"  says  Jen- 
kyn,  "  only  makes  saints  of  the  dead,  but  Scrip- 
ture requires  sanctity  in  the  living."  "  Let 
not  men  deceive  themselves,"  says  Owen, 
"  sanctification  is  a  qualification  indispensably 
necessary  unto  those  who  will  be  under  the 
conduct  of  the  Lord  Christ  unto  salvation  :  He 
leads  none  to  heaven,  but  whom  He  sanctifies 
on  the  earth.  This  living  Head  will  not  admit 
of  dead  members." 

Surely  you  will  not  wonder  that  Scripture 
says,  "  Ye  must  be  born  again."  (John  iii.  7.) 
Surely  it  is  clear  as  noon-day  that  many  a 
man  needs  a  complete  change, — a  new  heart, 
— a  new  nature, — if  ever  he  is  to  be  saved. 
Old  things  must  pass  away, — he  must  become 
a  new  creature.  Without  holiness  no  man, 
be  he  who  he  may,  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord. 

2.  Let  me,  for  another  thing,  speak  a  little 
to  every  believer  who  reads  these  pages.  I  ask 
you  this  question,  "  Do  yo2L  think  you  feel  the 
importance  of  holiness  as  much  as  you  should  ?" 


ARE  YOU  HOLY.  207 


I  own  I  fear  the  temper  of  the  times  about 
this  subject.  I  doubt  exceedingly  whether  it 
holds  that  place  which  it  deserves  in  the 
thoughts  and  attention  of  some  of  the  Lord's 
people.  I  would  humbly  suggest  that  we  are 
apt  to  overlook  the  doctrine  of  growth  in 
grace,  and  that  we  do  not  sufficiently  con- 
sider how  very  far  a  person  may  go  in  a  pro- 
fession of  religion,  and  yet  have  no  grace, 
and  be  dead  in  God's  sight  after  all.  I  be-' 
lieve  that  Judas  Iscariot  seemed  very  like 
the  other  apostles.  When  the  Lord  warned 
them  one  would  betray  Him,  no  one  said,  "Is 
it  Judas  ?"  We  had  better  think  more  about 
Sardis  and  Laodicea  than  we  do. 

I  have  no  desire  to  make  an  idol  of  holiness. 
I  do  not  wish  to  dethrone  Christ,  and  put 
holiness  in  His  place.  But  I  must  candidly 
say,  I  wish  sanctification  was  more  thought  of 
in  this  day  than  it  seems  to  be,  and  I  therefore 
take  occasion  to  press  the  subject  on  all  be- 
lievers into  whose  hands  this  paper  may  fall. 

I  fear  it  is  sometimes  forgotten,  that  God  has 
married  together  justification   and  sanctifica- 


208  ARE   YOU   HOLY. 

tion.  They  are  distinct  and  different  things 
beyond  question,  but  one  is  never  found  with- 
out the  other.  All  justified  people  are  sancti- 
fied, and  all  sanctified  are  justified.  What  God 
has  joined  together  let  no  man  dare  put  asun- 
der. Tell  me  not  of  your  justification,  unless 
you  have  also  some  marks  of  sanctification. 
Boast  not  of  Christ's  work  for  you,  unless  you 
can  show  us  the  Spirit's  work  in  you.  Think 
^ot  that  Christ  and  the  Spirit  can  ever  be  di- 
vided. 

Reader,  if  you  are  a  believer,  I  doubt  not 
you  know  these  things,  but  I  think  it  good  to 
put  you  in  remembrance  of  them.  Prove  that 
you  know  them  by  your  life.  Try  to  keep  in 
view  this  text  more  continually,  "  Follow 
holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord." 

I  must  frankly  say,  I  wish  there  was  not 
such  an  excessive  sensitiveness  on  the  subject 
of  holiness  as  I  sometimes  perceive  in  the 
minds  of  believers.  A  man  might  really  think 
it  was  a  dangerous  subject  to  handle,  so  cau- 
tiously is  it  touched.    Yet  surely  when  we  have 


AEE   YOU   HOLY.  209 

exalted  Christ  as  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the 
life,  we  cannot  err  in  speaking  strongly  about 
what  should  be  the  character  of  His  people. 
Well  says  Rutherford,  "The  way  that  crieth 
down  duties  and  sanctification,  is  not  the  way 
of  grace.  Believing  and  doing  are  blood 
friends." 

There  is  a  thing  I  would  say  with  reverence, 
— but  say  it  I  must, — I  sometimes  fear  if  Christ 
were  on  earth  now,  there  are  not  a  few  who 
would  think  His  preaching  legal  ;  and  if  Paul 
were  writing  his  Epistles,  there  are  those  who 
would  think  he  had  better  not  write  the  latter 
part  of  most  of  them  as  he  did.  But  let  us 
remember  that  the  Lord  Jesus  did  speak  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  and  that  the  Epistle 
to  the  Ephesians  contains  six  chapters,  and  not 
four.  I  grieve  to  feel  obliged  to  speak  in  this 
way,  but  I  am  sure  there  is  a  cause. 

The  great  divine,  Owen,  said  some  two  hun- 
dred years  ago,  that  there  were  people  whose 
whole  religion  seemed  to  consist  in  going  about 
complaining  of  their  own  corruptions,  and  telling 
every  one  they  could  do  nothing  of  themselves. 

U 


210  AKE   YOU   HOLY. 

Reader,  I  put  it  to  yourself, — might  not  the 
same  thing  be  said  with  truth  of  some  of 
Christ's  professing  people  in  this  day? 

I  know  there  are  texts  in  Scripture  that  war- 
rant such  complaints.  I  do  not  object  to  them 
when  they  come  from  men  who  walk  in  the 
steps  of  the  apostle  Paul,  and  fight  a  good  fight, 
as  he  did,  against  sin,  the  devil,  and  the  world. 
But  I  never  like  such  complaints  when  I  see 
grounds  for  suspecting,  as  I  often  do,  that  they 
are  only  a  cloak  to  cover  spiritual  laziness,  and 
an  excuse  for  spiritual  sloth.  If  we  say  with 
Paul,  "  O  wretched  man  that  I  am,"  let  us  also 
be  able  to  say  with  him,  "  I  press  toward  the 
mark."  Let  us  not  quote  his  example  in  one 
thing,  while  we  do  not  follow  him  in  another. 
(Rom.  vii.  24.  Phil.  iii.  14.) 

I  do  not  set  up  myself  to  be  better  than  other 
people,  and  if  any  one  asks,  "  What  are  you, 
that  you  talk  in  this  way  ?"  I  answer,  "  I  am  a 
very  poor  creature  indeed."  But  I  tell  you 
I  cannot  read  the  Bible  without  desiring  to 
see  many  believers  more  spiritual,  more  holy, 
more  single-eyed,  more  heavenly-minded,  more 


AEE   YOU   HOLY.  211 

whole-hearted  than  they  are.  I  want  to  see 
among  us  more  of  a  pilgrim  spirit,  a  more  de- 
cided separation  from  the  world,  a  conversa- 
tion more  evidently  in  heaven,  a  closer  walk 
with  God, — and  therefore  I  have  spoken  as  I 
have. 

Is  it  not  true  that  we  need  a  higher  standard 
of  personal  holiness  in  this  day  ?  Where  is 
our  patience  ?  Where  is  our  zeal  ?  Where 
is  our  love  ?  Where  are  our  works  ?  Where  is 
the  power  of  religion  to  be  seen,  as  it  was  in 
times  gone  by  ?  Where  is  that  unmistakable 
tone  that  used  to  distinguish  the  saints  of  old, 
and  shake  the  world  ?  Verily  our  silver  has 
become  dross,  our  wine  mixed  with  water. 
We  are  all  more  than  half  asleep.  The  night 
is  far  spent,  and  the  day  is  at  hand.  Let  us 
awake  and  sleep  no  more.  Let  us  open  our 
eyes  more  widely  than  we  have  done  hitherto. 
Let  us  lay  aside  every  weight,  and  the  sin  that 
doth  so  easily  beset  us.  Let  us  cleanse  our- 
selves from  all  filthiness  of  flesh  and  spirit,  and 
perfect  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God.  "  Did 
Christ  die,"  says  Owen,  "  and  shall  sin  live  ? 


212  AEE   YOU    HOLY. 

Was  He  crucified  in  the  world,  and  shall  our 
affections  to  the  world  be  quick  and  lively  ? 
Oh !  where  is  the  spirit  of  Him,  who  by  the 
cross  of  Christ  was  crucified  to  the  world,  and 
the  world  to  him  ?" 

3.  Let  me,  in  the  last  place,  offer  a  word  of 
advice  to  all  who  desire  to  he  holy. 

Would  you  be  holy  ?  Would  you  become 
new  creatures  ?  Then  begin  with  Christ.  You 
will  do  just  nothing  till  you  feel  your  sin  and 
weakness,  and  flee  to  Him.  He  is  the  begin- 
ning of  all  holiness.  He  is  not  wisdom  and  right- 
eousness only  to  His  people,  but  sanctification 
also.  Men  sometimes  try  to  make  themselves 
holy^r^^  of  all,  and  sad  work  they  make  of  it. 
They  toil  and  labor,  and  turn  over  many  new 
leaves,  and  make  many  changes,  and  yet,  like 
the  woman  with  the  issue  of  blood  before  she 
came  to  Christ,  they  feel  nothing  bettered,  but 
rather  worse.  They  run  in  vain,  and  labor  in 
vain,  and  little  wonder,  for  they  are  beginning 
at  the  wrong  end.  They  are  building  up  a  wall 
of  sand ;  their  work  runs  down  as  fast  as  they 
throw  it  up.     They  are  baling  water  out  of  a 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  213 

leaky  vessel ;  the  leak  gains  on  them,  not  they 
on  the  leak.  Other  foundation  of  holiness  can 
no  man  lay  than  that  which  Paul  laid,  even 
Christ  Jesus.  Without  Christ  we  can  do  noth- 
ing. It  is  a  strong  but  true  saying  of  Traill's, 
"  Wisdom  out  of  Christ  is  damning  folly ; — 
rio-hteousness  out  of  Christ  is  guilt  and  con- 
demnation  ;— sanctification  out  of  Christ  is  filth 
and  sin ; — redemption  out  of  Christ  is  bondage 
and  slavery." 

Would  you  be  holy?  Would  you  be  par- 
takers of  the  divine  nature  ?  Then  go  to  Christ. 
Wait  for  nothing.  Wait  for  nobody.  Linger 
not.  Think  not  to  make  yourself  ready.  Go 
and  say  to  Him,  in  the  w:ords  of  that  beautiful 
hymn, — 

"  Wothing  in  my  hand  I  bring, 
Simply  to  thy  cross  I  ding ; 
Naked,  flee  to  thee  for  dress ; 
Helpless,  look  to  thee  for  grace." 

There  is  not  a  brick  nor  a  stone  laid  in  the 
work  of  our  sanctification,  till  we  go  to  Christ. 
HoUness  is  His  special  gift  to  His  believing 
people.     Holiness  is  the  work  He  carries  on  in 


214  AKE   YOU   HOLY. 

their  hearts  by  the  Spirit  whom  He  puts  within 
them.  He  is  anointed  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour, 
to  give  repentance  as  well  as  remission  of  sins. 
To  as  many  as  receive  Him  He  gives  power  to 
become  sons  of  God.  (John  i.  12.) 

Holiness  comes  not  of  blood, — parents  cannot 
give  it  to  their  children :  nor  yet  of  the  will  of  the 
flesh, — man  cannot  produce  it  in  himself:  nor 
yet  of  the  will  of  man,  ministers  cannot  give  it 
you  by  baptism.  Holiness  comes  from  Christ. 
It  is  the  result  of  vital  union  with  Him.  It  is 
the  fruit  of  being  a  living  branch  of  the  true 
vine.  Go  then  to  Christ,  and  say,  "  Lord,  not 
only  save  me  from  the  guilt  of  sin,  but  send  the 
Spirit,  whom  thou  didst  promise,  and  save  me 
from  its  power.  Make  me  holy.  Teach  me 
to  do  thy  will." 

Would  you  continue  holy  ?  Then  abide  in 
Christ.  He  says  Himself,  "  Abide  in  me  and 
I  in  you, — he  that  abideth  in  me  and  I  in  him, 
the  same  beareth  much  fruit."  (John  xv.  4,  5  ) 
It  pleased  the  Father  that  in  Him  should  all 
fulness  dwell, — a  full  supply  for  all  a  believer's 
wants.      He   is  the  Physician   to  whom  you 


ARE   YOU   HOLY.  215 

must  daily  go.,  if  you  would  keep  well.  He  is 
the  manna  which  you  must  daily  eat,  and  the 
rock  of  which  you  must  daily  drink.  His  arm 
is  the  arm  on  which  you  must  daily  lean,  as 
you  come  up  out  of  the  wilderness  of  this  world. 
You  must  not  only  be  rooted,  you  must  also  be 
huilt  up  in  Him.  Paul  was  a  man  of  God  in- 
deed,— a  holy  man, — a  growing,  thriving  Chris- 
tian,— and  what  was  the  secret  of  it  all  ?  He 
was  one  to  whom  Christ  was  "  all  in  all."  He 
was  ever  "  looking  unto  Jesus."  "  I  can  do 
all  things,"  he  says,  "  through  Christ  which 
strengtheneth  me."  "  I  live,  yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me.  The  life  that  I  now  live, 
I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God."  (Phil, 
iv.  13.  Gal.  ii.  20.)  Reader,  go  and  do  like- 
wise. 

Now  may  you  and  I  know  these  things  by 
experience,  and  not  by  hearsay  only.  May  we 
all  feel  the  importance  of  holiness  far  more 
than  we  have  ever  done  yet.  May  our  years 
be  holy  years  with  our  souls,  and  then  I  know 
they  will  be  happy  ones.  Whether  we  live, 
may  we  live  unto  the  Lord ;   or  whether  we 


216  AEE   YOU  HOLY. 


die,  may  we  die  unto  the  Lord  :  or  if  He  come 
for  us,  may  we  be  found  in  peace,  without  spot, 
and  blameless. 

And  now,  if  I  have  erred  in  anything  that 
I  have  written,  may  the  good  Lord  pardon 
me,  and  show  me  what  is  the  mind  of  the 
Spirit.  But  if,  as  I  believe,  I  have  told  you 
the  truth,  may  the  Lord  open  your  heart,  and 
make  it  a  word  in  season  to  you,  and  all  who 
read  it. 


(IDnltf  mt  50nt}. 


"  NEITHER  IS  THERE  SALVATION  IN  ANY  OTHER  ;  FOR  THERE 
IS  NONE  OTHER  NAME  UNDER  HEAVEN,  GIVEN  AMONG  MEN, 
WHEREBY    WE    MUST    BE    SAVED." 

Acts  iv.  12. 

Reader, — - 

These  words  are  striking  in  themselves. 
But  they  are  much  more  striking,  if  you  con- 
sider when,  and  by  whom  they  were  spoken. 

They  were  spoken  by  a  poor  and  friendless 
Christian,  in  the  midst  of  a  persecuting  Jewish 
Council.     It  was  a  grand  confession  of  Christ. 

They  were  spoken  by  the  lips  of  the  Apostle 
Peter.  This  is  the  man  who  a  few  weeks  be- 
fore forsook  Jesus  and  fled.  This  is  the  very 
man  who  three  times  over  denied  his  Lord. 
There  is  another  spirit  in  him  now.  He  stands 
up  boldly  before  Priests  and  Sadducees,  and 
tells  them  the  truth  to  their  face  :  "  This  is  the 
stone  that  was  set  at  naught  of  you  builders, 


218  ONLY   ONE   WAY. 


which  is  become  the  head  of  the  corner. 
Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any  other  :  for 
there  is  none  other  nanae  under  heaven,  given 
among  men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved." 

Now,  I  need  hardly  tell  you,  this  text  is  one 
of  the  principal  foundations  on  which  the  Eigh- 
teenth Article  of  the  Church  of  England  is 
built. 

That  Article  runs  as  follows  :  "  They  also  are 
to  be  had  accursed  that  presume  to  say  that 
every  man  shall  be  saved  by  the  law  or  sect  he 
professeth,  so  that  he  be  diligent  to  frame  his 
life  according  to  that  law  and  the  light  of  na- 
ture. For  Holy  Scripture  doth  set  out  unto 
us  only  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  whereby  men 
must  be  saved." 

There  are  few  stronger  assertions  than  this 
throughout  the  whole  thirty -nine  Articles.  It 
is  the  only  anathema  pronounced  by  our  Church 
from  one  end  of  her  confession  of  faith  to  the 
other.  The  Council  of  Trent  in  her  decrees 
anathematizes  continually.  The  Church  of 
England  does  it  once,  and  once  only.  And 
that  she  does  it  on  good  grounds,  I  propose  to 


ONLY  OXE  WAY.  219 

show   you  by  an  examination  of  the  Apostle 
Peter's  words. 

In  considering  this  solemn  subject,  there  are 
three  things  I  wish  to  do. 

I.  First,  to  show  you  the  doctrine  here  laid 
down  by  the  Apostle. 

II.  Secondly,  to  show  you  some  reasons 
why  this  doctrine  must  be  true. 

III.  Thirdly,  to  show  you  some  conse- 
quences which  naturally  flow  from  the  doc- 
trine. 

I.  First  let  me  show  you  the  doctrine  of 
the  text. 

Let  us  make  sure  that  we  rightly  understand 
what  the  Apostle  Peter  means.  He  says  of 
Christ,  "  Neither  is  there  salvation  in  any 
other :  for  there  is  none  other  name  under 
heaven,  given  among  men,  whereby  we  must 
be  saved."  Now  what  is  this  ?  On  our  clearly 
seeing  this  very  much  depends. 

He  means  that  no  one  can  be  saved  from 
sin, — its  guilt,  power,  and  consequences, — ex- 
cepting by  Jesus  Christ. 

He  means  that  no  one  can  have  peace  with 


220  ONLY   ONE   WAY. 

God  the  Father, — obtain  pardon  in  this  world, 
— and  escape  wrath  to  come  in  the  next, — ex- 
cepting through  the  atonement  and  mediation 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

In  Christ  alone  God's  rich  provision  of  sal- 
vation for  sinners  is  treasured  up.  By  Christ 
alone  God's  abundant  mercies  come  down  from 
heaven  to  earth.  Christ's  blood  alone  can 
cleanse  us.  Christ's  righteousness  alone  can 
clothe  us.  Christ's  merit  alone  can  give  us  a 
title  to  heaven.  Jews  and  Gentiles, — learned 
and  unlearned, — kings  and  poor  men, — all  alike 
must  either  be  saved  by  Jesus,  or  lost  forever. 

And  the  Apostle  adds  emphatically,  *'  there 
is  none  other  name  under  heaven,  given  among 
men,  whereby  we  must  be  saved."  There  is 
no  other  person  commissioned,  sealed,  and  ap- 
pointed by  God  the  Father,  to  be  the  Saviour 
of  Sinners,  excepting  Christ.  The  keys  of  life 
and  death  are  committed  to  his  hand,  and  all 
who  would  be  saved  must  go  to  Him. 

There  was  but  one  place  of  safety  in  the  day 
when  the  flood  came  upon  the  earth,  and  that 
was  Noah's  ark.     All  other  places  and  devices, 


ONLY  0^'E   WAY.  221 

— mountains,  towers,  trees,  rafts,  boats, — all 
were  alike  useless.  So  also  there  is  but  one 
hiding-place  for  the  sinner  who  would  escape 
the  storm  of  God's  anger, — he  must  venture  his 
soul  on  Christ. 

There  was  but  one  man  to  whom  the  Egyp- 
tians could  go  in  the  time  of  famine,  when  they 
wanted  food.  They  must  go  to  Joseph.  It 
was  a  waste  of  time  to  go  to  any  one  else.  So 
also  there  is  but  one  to  whom  hungering  souls 
must  go,  if  they  would  not  perish  forever, — 
they  must  go  to  Christ. 

There  was  but  one  word  that  could  save  the 
lives  of  the  Ephraimites  in  the  day  when  the 
Gileadites  contended  with  them,  and  took  the 
fords  of  Jordan.  (Judges  xi.)  They  must  say 
"  Shibboleth"  or  die.  Just  so  there  is  but  one 
name  that  will  avail  us  when  we  stand  at  the 
gate  of  heaven.  We  must  name  the  name  of 
Jesus  as  our  only  hope,  or  be  cast  away  ever- 
lastingly. 

Such  is  the  doctrine  of  the  text,  "No  salva- 
tion but  by  Jesus  Christ ; — in  Him  plenty  of 
salvation, — salvation  to  the  uttermost, — salva- 


222  ONLY   ONE  WAY. 

tion  for  the  very  chief  of  sinners  ; — out  of  Him 
no  salvation  at  all."  It  is  in  perfect  harmony 
with  our  Lord's  own  word  in  St.  John  :  ''  I  am 
the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life ;  no  man  Com- 
eth unto  the  Father  but  by  me."  (John  xiv.  6.) 
It  is  the  same  thing  that  Paul  tells  the  Corin- 
thians :  "  Other  foundation  can  no  man  lay 
than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ."  (iCor. 
iii.  11.)  And  the  same  that  John  tells  us  in 
his  first  Epistle:  "God  hath  given  to  us  eter- 
nal life,  and  this  life  is  in  His  Son.  He  that 
hath  the  Son  hath  life,  and  he  that  hath  not 
the  Son  of  God  hath  not  life."  (1  John  v.  12.) 
All  these  texts  come  to  one  and  the  same  point, 
— no  salvation  but  by  Jesus  Christ. 

Reader,  make  sure  that  you  understand  this 
before  you  pass  on.  Perhaps  you  think,  this 
is  all  old  news.  Perhaps  you  feel,  "  these  are 
ancient  things :  who  knoweth  not  such  truths 
as  these  ?  Of  course  we  believe  there  is  no 
salvation  but  by  Christ."  But  mark  well  what 
I  say ;  make  sure  that  you  understand  this 
doctrine,  or  else  by-and-by  you  will  stumble 
and  be  offended  at  what  I  have  yet  to  say. 


ONLY  ONE   WAY.  223 


Remember  that  you  are  to  venture  the 
whole  salvation  of  your  soul  on  Christ,  and  on 
Christ  only.  You  are  to  cast  loose  completely 
and  entirely  from  all  other  hopes  and  trusts. 
You  are  not  to  rest  partly  on  Christ, — partly 
on  doing  all  you  can, — partly  on  keeping  your 
Church, — partly  on  receiving  the  sacrament. 
In  the  matter  of  your  justification  Christ  is  to 
be  all.     This  is  the  doctrine  of  the  text. 

Remember  that  heaven  is  before  you,  and 
Christ  the  only  door  into  it  ; — hell  beneath 
you,  and  Christ  alone  able  to  deliver  you  from 
it ; — the  devil  behind  you,  and  Christ  the  only 
refuge  from  his  wrath  and  accusations; — the 
law  against  you,  and  Christ  alone  able  to  re- 
deem you  ; — sin  weighing  you  down,  and 
Christ  alone  able  to  put  it  away.  This  is  the 
doctrine  of  the  text. 

Now  do  you  see  it  ?  I  hope  you  do.  But  I 
fear  many  think  so,  who  may  find  before  laying 
down  this  paper  they  do  not. 

11.  Let  me  show  you,  in  the  second  place, 
some  reasons  why  the  doctrine  of  the  text  must 
he  true. 


224  ONLY  ONE  WAY. 

I  might  cut  short  this  part  of  the  subject  by 
one  simple  argument,  "  God  says  so."  '  "  One 
plain  text,"  said  an  old  divine,  "is  as  good  as  a 
thousand  reasons." 

But  I  will  not  do  this.  I  wish  to  meet  the 
objections  that  are  ready  to  rise  in  many  hearts 
against  this  doctrine,  by  pointing  out  the  strong 
foundations  on  which  it  stands. 

1.  Let  me  then  say,  for  one  thing,  the  doc- 
trine of  the  text  must  be  true,  because  man  is 
what  man  is. 

Now,  what  is  man  ?  There  is  one  broad 
sweeping  answer,  which  takes  in  the  whole 
human  race, — man  is  a  sinful  being.  All  chil- 
dren of  Adam  born  into  the  world,  whatever 
be  their  name  or  nation,  are  corrupt,  wicked, 
and  defiled,  in  the  sight  of  God.  Their  thoughts, 
words,  ways,  and  actions,  are  all  more  or  less 
defective  and  imperfect. 

Is  there  no  country  on  the  face  of  the  globe 
where  sin  does  not  reign  ?  Is  there  no  happy 
valley, — no  secluded  island,  where  innocence 
is  to  be  found  ?  Is  there  no  tribe  on  earth, 
where  far    away  from    civilization,  and  com- 


ONLY  ONE  WAY.  225 

merce,  and  money,  and  gunpowder,  and  luxury, 
and  books,  morality  and  purity  flourish? — No! 
Reader,  there  is  none.  Look  over  all  the  voy- 
ages and  travels  you  can  lay  your  hand  on, 
from  Columbus  down  to  Cook,  and  you  will 
see  the  truth  of  what  I  am  asserting.  The 
most  solitary  islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean, — 
islands  cut  off  from  all  the  rest  of  the  world, 
— islands  where  people  were  alike  ignorant 
of  Rome  and  Paris,  London  and  Jerusalem, 
— these  islands  have  been  found  full  of  im- 
purity, cruelty,  and  idolatry.  The  footprints 
of  the  devil  have  been  traced  on  every  shore. 
The  veracity  of  the  third  of  Genesis  has  every- 
where been  established.  Whatever  else  savages 
have  been  found  ignorant  of,  they  have  never 
been  found  ignorant  of  sin. 

But  are  there  no  men  and  women  in  the 
world  who  are  free  from  this  corruption  of 
nature  ?  Have  there  not  been  high  and  ex- 
alted souls,  who  have  every  now  and  then 
lived  faultless  lives  ?  Have  there  not  been 
some,  if  it  be  only  a  few,  who  have  done  all 
that  God  required,  and  thus  proved  that  sin- 

15 


226  ONLY  ONE  WAY. 

less  perfection  is  a  possibility  ? — No,  Reader, 
there  have  been  none.  Look  over  all  the 
biographies  and  lives  of  the  holiest  Christians. 
Mark  how  the  brightest  and  best  of  Christ's 
people  have  always  had  the  deepest  sense  of 
their  own  defectiveness  and  corruption.  They 
groan,  they  mourn,  they  sigh,  they  weep  over 
their  own  short-comings.  It  is  one  of  the 
common  grounds  on  which  they  meet.  Pa- 
triarchs and  Apostles,  Fathers  and  Reformers, 
Episcopalians  and  Presbyterians,  Luther  and 
Calvin,  Knox  and  Bradford,  Rutherford  and 
Bishop  Hall,  Wesley  and  Whitefield,  Martyn 
and  M'Cheyne, — all  are  alike  agreed  in  feeling 
their  own  sinfulness.  The  more  light  they 
have,  the  more  humble  and  self-abased  they 
seem  to  be.  The  more  holy  they  are,  the 
more  they  seem  to  feel  their  own  unworthi- 
ness,  and  to  glory,  not  in  themselves,  but  in 
Christ. 

Now,  what  does  all  this  tend  to  prove  ?  To 
my  eyes  it  seems  to  prove,  that  human  nature 
is  so  tainted  and  corrupt  that,  left  to  himself, 
no  man  could  be   saved.     Man's  case  appears 


ONLY   ONE   WAY.  227 

to  me  a  hopeless  one  without  a  Saviour, — and 
that  a  might}'  Saviour  too.  There  must  be  a 
Mediator,  an  Atonement,  an  Advocate,  to  make 
such  poor  sinful  beings  acceptable  with  God  : 
— and  1  find  this  nowhere  excepting  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Heaven  for  man  without  a  mighty 
Redeemer, — peace  with  God  for  man  without  a 
mighty  Intercessor, — eternal  life  for  man  with- 
out an  eternal  Saviour, — in  one  word,  salva- 
tion without  Christ — all  alike  appear  to  me 
utter  impossibilities. 

I  lay  these  things  before  you,  and  ask  you  to 
consider  them,  I  know  it  is  one  of  the  hardest 
things  in  the  world  to  realize  the  sinfulness  of 
sin.  To  say  we  are  all  sinners  is  one  thing ;  to 
have  an  idea  what  sin  must  be  in  the  sight  of 
God  is  quite  another.  Sin  is  too  much  part  of 
ourselves,  to  allow  us  to  see  it  as  it  is.  We  do 
not  feel  our  own  moral  deformity.  We  are 
like  those  animals  in  creation  which  are  vile 
and  loathsome  to  our  senses,  but  are  not  so  to 
themselves,  nor  yet  to  one  another.  Their  loath- 
someness is  their  nature,  and  they  do  not  per- 
ceive it.     Our  corruption  is  part  and  parcel  of 


228  ONLY   ONE  WAY. 

ourselves,  and  at  our  best  we  have  but  a  feeble 
comprehension  of  its  intensity. 

But  this  you  may  be  sure  of,  if  you  could 
see  your  ov^n  lives  with  the  eyes  of  the  angels 
who  never  fell,  you  would  never  doubt  this 
point  for  a  moment.  Depend  on  it,  no  one  can 
really  know  what  man  is,  and  not  see  that  the 
doctrine  of  our  text  must  be  true.  There  can 
be  no  salvation  except  by  Christ. 

2.  Let  me  say  another  thing.  The  doc- 
trine of  our  text  must  be  true,  because  God  is 
what  God  is. 

Now,  what  is  God?  That  is  a  deep  question 
indeed.  We  know  something  of  his  attributes. 
He  has  not  left  himself  without  witness  in  cre- 
ation. He  has  mercifully  revealed  to  us  many 
things  about  Himself  in  His  word.  We  know 
that  God  is  a  Spirit,  —  eternal,  —  invisible, — 
almighty, — the  Maker  of  all  things, — the  Pre- 
server of  all  things, — holy, — ^just, — all-seeing, 
—  all-knowing. —  all-remembering, — infinite  in 
mercy,  in  wisdom,  in  purity. 

But  alas !  after  all,  how  low  and  grovelling 
are  our  highest  ideas,  when  we  come   to  put 


ONLY  ONE  WAY.  229 

down  on  paper  what  we  believe  God  to  be ! 
How  many  words  and  expressions  w^e  use 
whose  full  meaning  we  cannot  fathom !  How 
many  things  our  tongues  say  of  Him,  which 
our  minds  are  utterly  unable  to  conceive  ! 

How  small  a  part  of  Him  do  we  see  !  How 
little  of  Him  can  we  possibly  know!  How 
mean  and  paltry  are  any  words  of  ours  to  con- 
vey any  idea  of  Him  who  made  this  mighty 
world  out  of  nothing,  and  with  whom  one  day 
is  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years 
as  one  day !  How  weak  and  inadequate  are 
our  poor  feeble  intellects  to  conceive  of  Him 
who  is  perfect  in  all  His  works, — perfect  in 
the  greatest  as  well  as  perfect  in  the  smallest, 
— perfect  in  appointing  the  days  and  hours  in 
which  Jupiter,  with  all  his  satellites,  shall  travel 
round  the  sun, — perfect  in  forming  the  smallest 
insect  that  creeps  over  a  few  feet  of  our  little 
globe !  How  little  can  our  busy  helplessness 
comprehend  a  Being  who  is  ever  ordering  all 
things  in  heaven  and  earth  by  universal  provj- 
dence, — ordering  the  rise  and  fall  of  nations 
and  dynasties,  like  Nineveh  and  Carthage ; — 


230  OKLY   ONE   WAY. 

ordering  the  exact  length  to  which  men  like 
Alexander,  and  Tamerlane,  and  Napoleon  shall 
extend  their  conquests, — ordering  the  least  step 
in  the  life  of  the  humblest  believer  among  His 
people, — all  at  the  same  time, — all  unceas- 
ingly,— all  perfectly, — all  for  His  own  glory ! 

The  blind  man  is  no  judge  of  the  paintings 
of  Rubens  or  Titian.  The  deaf  man  is  insen- 
sible to  the  beauty  of  Handel's  music.  The 
Greenlander  can  have  but  a  faint  notion  of  the 
climate  of  the  tropics.  The  Australian  savage 
can  form  but  a  remote  conception  of  a  locomo- 
tive engine,  however  well  you  may  describe 
it.  There  is  no  place  in  their  minds  to  take  in 
these  things.  They  have  no  set  of  thoughts 
which  can  comprehend  them.  They  have  no 
mental  fingers  to  grasp  them.  And  just  in  the 
same  way,  the  best  and  brightest  ideas  that 
man  can  form  of  God,  compared  with  the  re- 
ality which  we  shall  see  one  day,  are  weak  and 
faint  indeed. 

But,  Reader,  one  thing,  I  think,  is  very  clear, 
and  that  is  this.  The  more  any  man  considers 
calmly  what  God  really  is,  the  more  he  must 


ONLY   ONE   WAY.  231 

feel  the  immeasurable  distance  between  God 
and  himself.  The  more  he  meditates,  the  more 
he  must  see  that  there  is  a  great  gulf  between 
him  and  God.  His  conscience,  I  think,  will 
tell  him,  if  he  will  let  it  speak,  that  God  is  per- 
fect, and  he  imperfect; — that  God  is  very  high, 
and  he  very  low ; — that  God  is  glorious  Ma- 
jesty, and  he  a  poor  worm  ; — and  that  if  ever 
he  is  to  stand  before  Him  in  judgment  with 
comfort,  he  must  have  some  mighty  Helper,  or 
he  will  not  be  saved. 

And  what  is  all  this  but  the  very  doctrine  of 
our  text  ?  What  is  all  this  but  coming  round 
to  the  conclusion  I  am  urging  upon  you  ?  With 
such  an  one  as  God  to  give  account  to,  we 
must  have  a  mighty  Saviour.  To  give  us 
peace  with 'such  a  glorious  Being  as  God,  we 
must  have  an  Almighty  Friend  and  Advocate 
on  our  side, — an  Advocate  who  can  answer 
every  charge  that  can  be  laid  against  us,  and 
plead  our  cause  wdth  God  on  equal  terms.  We 
want  this,  and  nothing  less  than  this.  Vague 
notions  of  mercy  will  never  give  true  peace. 
And  such  a  Saviour,  such  a  Friend,  such   an 


232  ONLY  ONE   WAY. 

Advocate  is  nowhere  to  be  found,  excepting 
in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ. 

I  lay  this  reason  also  before  you.  I  know 
well  that  people  may  have  false  notions  of  God, 
as  well  as  everything  else,  and  shut  their  eyes 
against  truth.  But  I  say  boldly  and  confi- 
dently, no  man  can  have  really  high  and  honor- 
able views  of  what  God  is,  and  escape  the 
conclusion  that  the  doctrine  of  our  text  must 
be  true.  There  can  be  no  possible  salvation, 
but   by  Jesus  Christ. 

3.  Let  me  say,  in  the  third  place,  this  doc- 
trine must  be  true,  because  the  Bible  is  what 
the  Bible  is. 

All  through  the  Bible,  from  Genesis  down  to 
Revelation,  there  is  only  one  simple  account  of 
the  way  in  which  men  must  be  saved.  It  is 
always  the  same, — only  for  the  sake  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ, — through  faith, — not  for 
our  own  works  and  deservings. 

You  see  it  dimly  revealed  at  first.  It  looms 
through  the  mist  of  a  few  promises,  but  there 
it  is. 

You  have  it  more  plainly  afterwards.     It  is 


ONLY   ONE   WAY.  233 

taught  by  the  pictures  and  emblems  of  the  law 
of  Moses,  the  schoolmaster  dispensation.  (Gral. 
iii.  24.) 

You  have  it  still  more  clearly  by-and-by. 
The  Prophets  saw  in  vision  many  particulars 
about  the  Redeemer  yet  to  come. 

You  have  it  fully  at  last,  in  the  sunshine 
of  the  New  Testament  history, — Christ  incar- 
nate,— Christ  crucified, — Christ  rising  again, — 
Christ  preached  to  the  world. 

But  one  golden  chain  runs  through  the  whole 
volume,  —  no  salvation  excepting  by  Jesus 
Christ.  The  bruising  of  the  serpent's  head, 
foretold  in  the  dav  of  the  fall, — the  clothinx^  of 
our  first  parents  with  skins, — the  sacrifices  of 
Noah,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob, — the  pass- 
over,  and  all  the  particulars  of  the  Jewish  law, 
— the  high-priest, — the  altar, — the  daily  offer- 
ing of  the  lamb, — the  holy  of  holies  entered 
only  by  blood, — the  scapegoat, — the  cities  of 
refuge, — all  are  so  many  witnesses  to  the  truth 
set  forth  in  the  text,  —  all  preach  with  one 
voice,  salvation  only  by  Jesus  Christ. 

In  fact  this  truth  appears  to  me  the  grand 


234  ONLY  ONE  WAY. 

subject  of  the  Bible,  and  all  the  different  parts 
and  portions  of  the  Book  are  meant  to  throw 
light  upon  it.  I  can  gather  from  it  no  ideas 
of  pardon  and  peace  with  God,  excepting  in 
connection  with  this  truth.  If  I  could  read  of 
one  soul  in  it,  who  was  saved  without  faith  in 
a  Saviour,  I  might  perhaps  not  speak  so  confi- 
dently. But  I  see  that  faith  in  Christ, — wheth- 
er a  coming  Christ,  or  a  crucified  Christ, — 
was  the  prominent  feature  in  the  religion  of  all 
who  went  to  heaven.  I  see  Abel  owning  Christ 
in  his  better  sacrifice  at  one  end  of  the  Bible, 
and  the  saints  in  glory  in  John's  vision,  rejoic- 
ing in  Christ  at  the  other  end  of  the  Bible.  I 
see  a  man  like  Cornelius,  who  was  devout  and 
feared  God,  and  gave  alms,  and  prayed,  not 
told  that  he  had  done  all,  and  would  of  course 
be  saved,  but  ordered  to  send  for  Peter,  and 
hear  of  Christ.  And  when  I  see  all  these  facts, 
I  feel  bound  to  believe  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
text  is  the  doctrine  of  the  whole  Bible, — no 
salvation,  no  way  to  heaven  excepting  by  Jesus 
Christ. 

Reader,  I  do  not  know  what  use  you  make 


ONLY  ONE  WAY.  235 

of  your  Bible, — whether  you  read  it,  or  wheth- 
er you  do  not, — whether  you  read  it  all,  or 
whether  you  only  read  such  parts  as  you  like. 
But  this  I  tell  you  plainly,  if  you  read  and  be- 
lieve the  whole  Bible,  you  will  find  it  hard  to 
escape  the  doctrine  of  the  eighteenth  Article 
of  the  Church  of  England  already  quoted.  I 
do  not  see  how  you  can  consistently  reject 
what  I  have  been  endeavoring  to  prove. — 
Christ  is  the  way, — and  the  only  way, — Christ 
the  truth,  and  the  only  truth, — Christ  the  life, 
and  the  only  life. 

Such  are  the  reasons  which  seem  to  me  to 
confirm  the  truth  laid  down  in  our  text.  What 
man  is, — what  God  is, — what  the  Bible  is  ; — 
ail  appear  to  me  to  lead  us  on  to  the  same  great 
conclusion,  —  no  possible  salvation  without 
Christ.     I  leave  them  with  you,  and  pass  on. 

III.  And  now,  in  the  third  and  last  place, 
let  me  show  you  some  consequences  which  Jlow 
naturally  out  of  our  text. 

There  are  few  parts  of  this  subject  which 
seem  to  me  more  important  than  this.  The 
truth  I  have  been  trying  to   set   before  you, 


236  ONLY  ONE  WAY. 

bears  so  strongly  on  the  condition  of  a  great 
proportion  of  mankind,  that  I  consider  it  would 
be  mere  affectation  on  my  part,  not  to  say  some- 
thing about  it.  If  Christ  is  the  only  way  of 
salvation,  what  are  we  to  feel  about  many 
people  in  the  world  ?  This  is  the  point  I  am 
now  going  to  take  up. 

I  believe  that  many  persons  will  go  with  me 
so  far  as  I  have  gone,  and  would  go  no  further. 
They  will  allow  my  premises.  They  will  have 
nothing  to  say  to  my  conclusions.  They  think 
it  uncharitable  to  say  anything  which  appears 
to  condemn  others.  For  my  part  I  cannot  un- 
derstand such  charity.  It  seems  to  me  the 
kind  of  charity  which  would  see  a  neighbor 
drinking  slow  poison,  but  never  interfere  to 
stop  him  ; — which  would  allow  emigrants  to 
embark  in  a  leaky,  ill-found  vessel,  and  not  in- 
terfere to  prevent  them  ; — which  would  see  a 
blind  man  walking  near  a  precipice,  and  think 
it  wrong  to  cry  out  and  tell  him  there  was 
danger. 

I  believe  the  greatest  charity  is  to  tell  the 
greatest  quantity  of  truth.     I  believe  it  is  no 


ONLY   ONE   WAY.  237 

charity  to  hide  the  legitimate  consequences  of 
such  a  text  as  we  are  now  considerinof,  or  to 
shut  our  eyes  against  them.  And  I  solemnly 
call  on  every  one  who  really  believes  there  is 
no  salvation  in  any  but  Christ, — and  none 
other  name  given  under  heaven  whereby  we 
must  be  saved, — I  solemnly  call  on  that  person 
to  listen  to  me,  while  I  set  before  him  some 
of  the  tremendous  consequences  which  the  text 
involves. 

I  am  not  going  to  speak  of  the  heathen,  who 
have  never  heard  the  Gospel.  Their  final  state 
is  a  great  depth,  which  the  mightiest  minds 
have  been  unable  to  fathom.  I  am  not  asham- 
ed of  leaving  it  alone.  One  thing  only  I  will 
say, — if  any  of  the  heathen,  who  die  heathen, 
are  saved,  I  believe  they  will  owe  their  salva- 
tion, however  little  they  may  know  it  on  this 
side  of  the  grave,  to  the  work  and  atonement 
of  Christ.  Just  as  infants  and  idiots  among 
ourselves  will  find  in  the  last  day  they  owed 
all  to  Christ,  though  they  never  knew  Him,  so 
I  believe  it  will  be  with  the  heathen,  if  any  of 
them  are  saved,  whether  many  or  few.     For 


238  ONLY   ONE   WAY. 


this  I  am  sure  of,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  crea- 
ture merit.  My  own  private  opinion  is,  that 
the  highest  archangel,  (though  of  course  in  a 
very  different  way  and  degree  from  us,)  will  be 
found  in  some  way  to  own  his  standing  to 
Christ,  and  that  things  in  heaven,  as  well  as 
things  on  earth,  will  ultiuiately  be  found  all  in- 
debted to  the  name  of  Jesus.  But  I  leave  the 
case  of  the  heathen  to  others,  and  will  speak 
of  matters  nearer  home. 

One  mighty  consequence  then  which  seems 
to  be  learned  from  this  text,  is  the  utter  useless- 
ness  of  any  religion  without  Christ. 

There  are  many  to  be  found  in  Christen- 
dom at  this  day,  who  have  a  religion  of  this 
kind.  They  would  not  like  to  be  called  Deists, 
but  Deists  they  are.  That  there  is  a  God, — 
that  there  is  what  they  are  pleased  to  call  Prov- 
idence,— that  God  is  merciful, — that  there  will 
be  a  state  after  death, — this  is  about  the  sum 
and  substance  of  their  creed.  And  as  to  the 
distinguishing  tenets  of  Christianity,  they  do 
not  seem  to  recognize  them  at  all.  Now  I  de- 
nounce such  a  system  as  a  baseless  fabric, — its 


ONLY   ONE   WAY.  239 

seeming  foundation  nnan's  fancy, — its  hopes,  an 
utter  delusion.  The  god  of  such  people  is  an 
idol  of  their  own  invention,  and  not  the  glori- 
ous God  of  the  Scriptures, — a  miserably  imper- 
fect being,  even  on  their  own  showing, — with- 
out holiness,  without  justice,  without  any  at- 
tribute but  that  of  vague  indiscriminate  mercy. 
Such  a  religion  may  possibly  do  as  a  toy  to 
live  with  ; — it  is  far  too  unreal  to  die  with.  It 
utterly  fails  to  meet  the  wants  of  man's  con- 
science. It  offers  no  remedy.  It  affords  no 
rest  for  the  soles  of  our  feet.  It  cannot  com- 
fort, for  it  cannot  save.  Reader,  beware  of  it, 
if  you  love  life.  Beware  of  a  religion  with- 
out Christ. 

Another  consequence  to  be  learned  from  the 
text  is,  the  folly  of  any  religion  in  ivhich 
Christ  has  not  the  first  place. 

I  need  not  remind  you  how  many  hold  a 
system  of  this  kind.  The  Socinian  tells  us  that 
Christ  was  a  mere  man  ;  that  his  blood  had  no 
more  efficacy  than  that  of  another;  that  His 
death  on  the  cross  was  not  a  real  atonement 
and  propitiation  for  man's  sins;  and  that  after 


240  ONLY  ONE   WAY. 


all  doing  is  the  way  to  heaven,  and  not  be- 
lieving. I  solemnly  declare  that  I  believe  such 
a  system  is  ruinous  to  men's  souls.  It  seems 
to  me  to  strike  at  the  root  of  the  whole  plan 
of  salvation  which  God  has  revealed  in  the 
Bible,  and  practically  to  nullify  the  greater  part 
of  the  Scriptures.  It  overthrows  the  priest- 
hood of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  strips  Him  of  His 
office.  It  converts  the  whole  system  of  the 
law  of  Moses  touching  sacrifices  and  ordi- 
nances, into  a  meaningless  form.  It  seems  to 
say  that  the  sacrifice  of  Cain  was  just  as  good 
as  the  sacrifice  of  Abel.  It  turns  man  adrift 
on  a  sea  of  uncertainty,  by  plucking  from 
under  him  the  finished  work  of  a  divine  Medi- 
ator. Beware  of  it,  Reader,  no  less  than  of 
Deism,  if  you  love  life.  Beware  of  the  least 
attempt  to  depreciate  and  undervalue  Christ's 
person,  offices,  or  w^ork.  The  name  whereby 
alone  you  and  I  can  be  saved,  is  a  name  above 
every  name,  and  the  sh'ghtest  contempt  poured 
upon  it  is  an  insult  to  the  King  of  kings.  The 
salvation  of  your  soul  has  been  laid  by  God  the 
Father  on  Christ,  and  no  other ;  and  if  He  were 


ONLY   ONE   WAY,  241 

not  very  God  of  very  God,  He  never  could 
accomplish  it, — there  could  be  no  salvation 
at  all. 

Another  consequence  to  be  learned  from  our 
text  is,  the  great  error  committed  hy  those  who 
add  anything  to  Christ,  as  necessary  to  sal- 
vation. 

It  is  an  easy  thing  to  profess  belief  in  the 
Trinity,  and  reverence  for  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  yet  to  make  some  addition  to 
Christ,  as  the  ground  of  hope,  and  so  to  over- 
throw the  doctrine  of  the  text  as  really  and 
completely  as  by  denying  it  altogether. 

The  Church  of  Rome  does  this  systemati- 
cally. She  adds  things  over  and  above  the 
requirements  of  the  Gospel,  of  her  own  inven- 
tion. She  speaks  as  if  Christ's  finished  work 
was  not  a  sufficient  foundation  for  a  sinner's 
soul ;  and  as  if  it  was  not  enough  to  say,  "  Be- 
lieve on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt 
be  saved."  She  sends  men  to  penances  and 
absolution,  to  masses  and  extreme  unction,  to 
fasting  and  bodily  mortification,  to  the  Virgin 

and  the  saints, — as  if  these  things  could  add  to 

16 


242  ONLY  ONE   WAY. 

the  safety  there  is  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  in 
doing  this  she  sins  against  our  text  with  a  high 
hand.  Let  us  beware  of  any  Romish  hanker- 
ing after  additions  to  the  simple  way  of  the 
Gospel,  from  whatever  quarter  it  may  come. 

But  I  fear  the  Church  of  Rome  does  not  stand 
alone  in  this  matter.  I  fear  there  are  thousands 
of  professing  Protestants,  who  are  often  erring 
in  the  same  direction,  although  of  course  in  a 
very  different  degree.  They  get  into  a  way 
of  adding,  perhaps  insensibly,  other  names  to 
the  name  of  Christ,  or  attaching  an  importance 
to  them  which  they  never  ought  to  receive. 
The  ultra  Churchman  in  England,  who  thinks 
God's  covenanted  mercies  are  tied  to  epis- 
copacy,— the  ultra  Presbyterian  in  Scotland, 
who  cannot  reconcile  prelacy  with  an  intel- 
ligent knowledge  of  the  Gospel, — ^the  ultra 
Free-kirk  man  by  his  side,  who  seems  to  think 
lay  patronage  and  vital  Christianity  almost  in- 
compatible,— the  ultra  Dissenter,  who  traces 
every  evil  in  the  Church  to  its  connection  wdth 
the  state,  and  can  talk  of  nothing  but  the  volun- 
tary system, — the  ultra  Baptist,  who  shuts  out 


ONLY  ONE  WAY.  243 


from  the  Lord's  table  every  one  who  has  not 
received  his  views  of  adult  baptism, — the  ultra 
Plymouth  Brother,  who  believes  all  knowledge 
to  reside  with  his  own  body,  and  condemns 
every  one  outside  as  a  poor  weak  babe ; — all 
these,  I  say,  however  unwittingly,  appear  to 
me  to  have  a  most  uncomfortable  tendencv  to 
add  to  the  doctrine  of  our  text.  All  seem  to 
me  to  be  practically  declaring  that  salvation  is 
not  to  be  found  simply  and  solely  in  Christ.  All 
seem  to  me  to  be  practically  adding  another 
name  to  the  name  of  Jesus  whereby  men  must 
be  saved,  even  the  name  of  their  own  party 
and  sect.  All  seem  to  me  to  be  practically  re- 
plying to  the  question,  "  What  shall  I  do  to  be 
saved?"  not  merely,  "Believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,"  but  also,  "  Come  and  join  us." 

Now  I  call  upon  every  true  Christian  to 
beware  of  such  ultraism,  in  whatsoever  form 
he  may  be  inclined  to  it.  In  saying  this,  I 
would  not  be  misunderstood.  I  like  every  one 
to  be  decided  in  his  views  of  ecclesiastical 
matters,  and  to  be  fully  persuaded  of  their  cor- 
rectness.    All  I  ask  is,  that  you  will  not  put 


244  ONLY  ONE  WAY. 

these  things  in  the  place  of  Christ,  or  place 
them  anywhere  near  Him,  or  speak  of  them 
as  if  you  thought  them  needful  to  salvation. 
However  dear  to  us  our  own  peculiar  views 
may  be,  let  us  beware  of  thrusting  them  in  be- 
tween the  sinner  and  the  Saviour.  Let  us  be- 
w^are,  in  short,  of  adding  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
text.  In  the  things  of  God's  word,  be  it  re- 
membered, addition,  as  well  as  subtraction,  is 
a  great  sin. 

The  last  consequence  which  seems  to  me  to 
be  learned  from  our  text  is,  the  utter  absurdity 
of  supposing  that  we  ought  to  be  satisfied 
with  a  mans  state  of  soul  if  he  is  only  sincere. 

This  is  a  very  common  heresy  indeed,  and 
one  against  which  we  all  need  to  be  on  our 
guard.  There  are  thousands  who  say,  in  the 
present  day,  "  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
opinions  of  others.  They  may  perhaps  be 
mistaken,  though  it  is  possible  they  are  right 
and  we  are  wrong; — but  if  they  are  sincere 
we  hope  they  will  be  saved,  even  as  we."  And 
all  this  sounds  liberal  and  charitable,  and  people 
like  to  fancy  their  own  views  are  so. 


ONLY  ONE  WAY.  245 

Now,  I  believe  such  notions  are  entirely  con- 
tradictory to  the  Bible,  whatever  else  they  may 
be.  I  cannot  find  in  Scripture  that  any  one 
ever  got  to  heaven  merely  by  sincerity,  or  was 
accepted  with  God  if  he  was  only  earnest  in 
maintaining  his  own  views.  The  priests  of 
Baal  were  sincere  when  they  cut  themselves 
with  knives  and  lancets  till  the  blood  gushed 
out ;  but  still  that  did  not  prevent  Elijah  from 
commanding  them  to  be  treated  as  wicked 
idolaters.  Manasseh,  king  of  Judah,  was  doubt- 
less sincere  when  he  burned  his  children  in  the 
fire  to  Moloch  ;  but  who  does  not  know  that 
he  brought  on  himself  great  guilt  by  so  doing  ? 
The  Apostle  Paul,  when  a  Pharisee,  was  sin- 
cere while  he  made  havoc  of  the  Church ;  but 
when  his  eyes  were  opened  he  mourned  over 
this  as  a  special  wickedness.  Let  us  beware 
of  allowing  for  a  moment,  that  sincerity  is 
everything,  and  that  we  have  no  right  to  think 
ill  of  a  man's  spiritual  state,  because  of  the 
opinions  he  holds,  if  he  is  only  earnest  in  hold- 
ing them.  On  such  principles  the  Druidical 
sacrifices,  the  car  of  Juggernaut,  the  Indian 


246  ONLY  ONE   WAY. 


Suttees,  the  systematic  murders  of  the  Thugs, 
the  fires  of  Smithfield,  might  each  and  all  be 
defended.  It  will  not  stand.  It  will  not  bear 
the  test  of  Scripture.  Once  allow  such  no- 
tions to  be  true,  and  you  may  as  well  throw 
your  Bible  aside  altogether.  Sincerity  is  not 
Christ,  and  therefore  sincerity  cannot  put 
away  sin. 

I  dare  be  sure  these  consequences  sound  very 
unpleasant  to  the  minds  of  some  who  may  read 
them.  But  I  tell  you  of  them  advisedly  and 
deliberately.  I  say  calmly  that  a  religion 
without  Christ, — a  religion  that  takes  away 
from  Christ, — a  religion  that  adds  anything  to 
Christ, — a  religion  that  puts  sincerity  in  the 
place  of  Christ, — all  are  dangerous, — all  are  to 
be  avoided,  and  all  are  alike  contrary  to  the 
doctrine  of  our  text. 

You  may  not  like  this.  I  am  sorry  for  it. 
You  think  me  uncharitable, — illiberal, — nar- 
row-minded,— bigoted,  and  so  forth.  Be  it  so. 
But  you  will  not  tell  me  my  doctrine  is  not 
that  of  the  word  of  God,  and  of  the  Church  of 
England,  whose  minister  I  am.     That  Doctrine 


ONLY   ONE   WAY.  247 

is  salvation  in  Christ  to  the  very  uttermost, — 
but  out  of  Christ  no  salvation  at  all. 

I  feel  it  a  duty  to  bear  my  solemn  testimony 
against  the  spirit  of  the  day  you  live  in ;  to 
warn  you  against  its  infection.  It  is  not 
Atheism  I  fear  so  much  in  the  present  times  as 
Pantheism.  It  is  not  the  system  which  says 
nothmg  is  true,  so  much  as  the  system  which 
says  everything  is  true.  It  is  not  the  system 
which  says  there  is  no  Saviour,  so  much  as  the 
system  which  says  there  are  many  Saviours, 
and  many  ways  to  peace.  It  is  the  system 
which  is  so  liberal,  that  it  dares  not  say  any- 
thing is  false.  It  is  the  system  Vv^hich  is  so 
charitable,  that  it  will  allow  everything  to  be 
true.  It  is  the  system  which  seems  ready  to 
allow  honor  to  others  as  well  as  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  to  hope  well  of  all  men,  however 
contradictory  their  religious  opinions  may  be. 
Confucius  and  Zoroaster, — Socrates  and  Ma- 
homet,— the  Indian  Brahmins  and  the  African 
devil- worshippers, — Arius  and  Pelagius, — Igna- 
tius Loyola  and  Socinus,  all  are  to  be  treated 
respectfully,  none  are  to  be  condemned.     It  is 


248  ONLY   ONE   WAY. 

the  system  which  bids  us  smile  complacently  on 
all  the  creeds  and  systems  of  religion, — the 
Bible  and  the  Koran,— ^he  Hindoo  Vedas  and 
the  Persian  Zendavesta, — the  old  wives'  fables 
of  Rabbinical  writers  and  the  rubbish  of  Pat- 
ristic traditions, — the  Racovian  Catechism  and 
the  Thirty-nine  Articles, — the  Revelations  of 
Emanuel  Swedenborg  and  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon of  Joseph  Smith  ; — all  are  to  be  listened 
to,  none  are  to  be  denounced  as  lies.  It  is  the 
system  which  is  so  scrupulous  about  the  feel- 
ings of  others,  that  we  are  never  to  say  they 
are  wrong.  It  is  the  system  which  is  so  lib- 
eral, that  it  calls  a  man  a  bigot,  if  he  dares  to 
say,  "I  know  my  views  are  right."  This  is 
the  system,  this  is  the  tone  of  feeling  which  I 
fear  in  this  day.  This  is  the  system  which  I 
desire  emphatically  to  testify  against  and  de- 
nounce. 

What  is  it  but  a  bowing  down  before  a  great 
idol,  speciously  called  liberality  ?  What  is  it 
all  but  a  sacrificing  of  truth  upon  the  altar  of  a 
caricature  of  charity  ?  Beware  of  it,  Reader, 
— beware  that  the  rushing  stream  of  public 


ONLY   ONE   WAY.  249 

opinion  does  not  carry  you  away.     Beware  of 
it,  if  you  believe  the  Bible.     Beware  of  it,  if 
you  are  a  consistent  member  of  the  Church  of 
England.     Has  the  Lord  God  spoken  to  us  in 
the  Bible,  or  has  He  not  ?     Has  He  shown  us 
the  way  of  salvation  plainly  in  that  Bible,  or 
has  He  not  ?     Has  He  declared  to  us  the  dan- 
gerous state  of  all  out  of  that  way,  or  has  He 
not  ?    Gird  up  the  loins  of  your  mind,  and  look 
these  questions  fairly  in  the  face,  and  give  them 
an  honest  answer.     Tell  us  that  there  is  some 
other  inspired  book  beside  the  Bible,  and  then 
we  shall  know  what  you  mean.     Tell  us  that 
the  whole  Bible  is   not  inspired,  and  then  we 
shall  know  where  to  meet  you.     But  grant  for 
a  moment  that  the  Bible,  the  whole  Bible,  and 
nothing  but  the  Bible  is  God's  truth,  and  then 
I  know  not  in  what  way  you  can  escape  the 
doctrine  of  the  text.    From  the  liberality  which 
says   everybody   is   right, — from    the   charity 
which  forbids  you  to  say  anybody  is  wrong, — 
from  the  peace  which  is  bought  at  the  expense 
of  truth,  may  the  good  Lord  deliver  you ! 
I  speak  for  myself. — I  find  no  resting-place 


250  ONLY  ONE  WAY. 

between  downright  evangelical  Christianity  and 
downright  infidelity  —  whatever  others  may 
find.  I  see  no  half-way  house  between  them, 
or  houses  that  are  roofless  and  cannot  shelter 
my  weary  soul.  I  can  see  consistency  in  an 
infidel,  however  much  I  may  pity  him.  I  can 
see  consistency  in  the  full  maintenance  of  evan- 
gelical truth.  But  as  to  a  middle  course  be- 
tween the  two,  I  cannot  see  it,  and  I  say  so 
plainly.  Let  it  be  called  illiberal  and  unchar- 
itable, I  can  hear  God's  voice  nowhere  except 
in  the  Bible,  and  I  can  see  no  salvation  for  sin- 
ners in  the  Bible  excepting  through  Jesus 
Christ.  In  Him  I  see  abundance.  Out  of  Him. 
I  see  none.  And  as  for  those  who  hold  reli- 
gions in  which  Christ  is  not  all,  whoever  they 
may  be,  I  have  a  most  uncomfortable  feeling 
about  their  safety.  I  do  not  for  a  moment  say 
that  none  of  them  are  saved,  but  I  say  that 
those  who  are  saved  are  saved  by  their  dis- 
agreement with  their  own  principles,  and  in 
spite  of  their  own  system.  The  man  who  wrote 
the  famous  line, 

"  He -can't  be  wrong  whose  life  is  in  the  right, 


ONLY  ONE  WAY.  251 


was  a  great  poet,  undoubtedly,  but  he  was  a 
wretched  divine. 

Let  me  conclude  with  a  few  words,  by  way 
of  application. 

First  of  all,  if  there  is  no  salvation  except- 
ing in  Christ,  make  sure  that  you  have  an  in- 
terest in  that  salvation  yourself.  Do  not  be 
content  with  hearing  and  approving,  and  as- 
senting to  the  truth,  and  go  no  further.  Seek 
to  have  a  personal  interest  in  this  salvation. 
Lay  hold  by  faith  for  your  own  soul.  Rest 
not  till  you  know  and  feel  that  you  have  got 
actual  possession  of  that  peace  with  God, 
which  Jesus  offers,  and  that  Christ  is  yours 
and  you  are  Christ's.  If  there  were  two  or 
three  or  more  ways  of  getting  to  heaven,  there 
would  be  no  necessity  for  pressing  this  matter 
upon  you.  But  if  there  is  only  one  loay  you 
will  hardly  wonder  that  I  say  "  make  sure  that 
you  are  in  it." 

Secondly,  if  there  is  no  salvation  excepting 
in  Christ,  try  to  do  good  to  the  souls  of  all  who 
do  not  know  Him  as  a  Saviour.  There  are 
millions  in  this  miserable  condition, — millions 


252  ONLY   ONE   WAY. 

in  foreign  lands, — millions  in  your  own  country, 
— millions  who  are  not  trusting  in  Christ.  You 
ought  to  feel  for  them,  if  you  are  a  true  Chris- 
tian;— you  ought  to  pray  for  them; — you  ought 
to  work  for  them,  while  there  is  yet  time.  Do 
you  really  believe  that  Christ  is  the  only  way 
to  heaven  ? — then  live  as  if  you  believed  it. 

Look  round  the  circle  of  your  own  relatives 
and  friends.  Count  them  up  one  by  one,  and 
think  how  many  of  them  are  not  yet  in  Christ. 
Try  to  do  good  to  them  in  some  way  or  other. 
Act  as  a  man  should  act  who  believes  his 
friends  to  be  in  danger.  Do  not  be  content 
with  their  being  kind  and  amiable,  gentle  and 
good-tempered,  moral  and  courteous, — be  miser- 
able about  them  till  they  come  to  Christ,  and 
trust  in  Him, — for  miserable  you  ought  to  be. 
Let  nobody  alone  who  is  out  of  Christ,  if  only 
you  have  opportunities  of  reaching  him.  I 
know  all  this  may  sound  like  enthusiasm  and 
fanaticism.  I  wish  there  was  more  of  it  in  the 
world.  Anything,  I  am  sure,  is  better  than  a 
quiet  indifference  about  the  souls  of  others,  as 
if  everybody  was  in  the  way  to  heaven.    Noth- 


ONLY  ONE  WAY.  253 

ing,  to  my  mind,  so  proves  our  little  faith,  as 
our  little  feeling  about  the  spiritual  condition 
of  those  around  us. 

Thirdly,  if  there  is  no  salvation  excepting  in 
Christ,  let  us  love  all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus 
in  sincerity  and  exalt  Him  as  their  Saviour, 
whoever  they  may  be.  Let  us  not  draw  back 
and  look  shy  on  others,  because  they  do  not 
see  eye  to  eye  with  ourselves  in  everything. 
Whether  a  man  be  a  Free-kirk-man  or  an  In- 
dependent, a  Wesleyan  or  a  Baptist,  let  us  love 
him  if  he  loves  Christ,  and  gives  Christ  His 
rightful  place.  We  are  all  fast  travelling  to- 
wards a  place  where  names  and  forms  and 
Church-government  will  be  nothing,  and  Christ 
will  be  all.  Let  us  get  ready  for  that  place 
betimes,  by  loving  all  who  are  in  the  way  that 
leads  to  it. 

This  is  the  true  charity,  to  believe  all  things, 
and  hope  all  things,  so  long  as  we  see  Bi- 
ble doctrines  maintained,  and  Christ  exalted. 
Christ  must  be  the  single  standard  by  which 
all  opinions  must  be  measured.  Let  us  honor 
all  who  honor  Him.     But  let  us  never  forget 


254  ONLY  ONE  WAY. 

that  the  same  Apostle  Paul  who  wrote  about 
charity,  says  also,  "  If  any  man  love  not  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema." 
(1  Cor.  xvi.  22.)  If  our  charity  and  liberality 
are  wider  than  that  of  the  Bible,  they  are 
worth  nothing  at  all.  Indiscriminate  love  is  no 
love  at  all,  and  indiscriminate  approbation  of 
all  religious  opinions,  is  only  a  new  name  for 
infidelity.  Let  us  hold  out  the  right  hand  to 
all  who  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  let  us  beware 
how  we  go  beyond  this. 

Lastly,  if  there  is  no  salvation  excepting  by 
Christ,,  you  must  not  be  surprised  if  ministers 
of  the  Gospel  preach  much  about  Him.  We 
cannot  tell  you  too  much  about  the  Name 
which  is  above  every  name.  You  cannot  hear 
of  Him  too  often.  You  may  hear  too  much 
about  controversy  in  our  sermons, — you  may 
hear  too  much  of  men  and  books,  of  works  and 
duties,  of  forms  and  ceremonies,  of  sacraments 
and  ordinances.  But  there  is  one  subject 
which  you  never  hear  too  much  of,— you  can 
never  hear  too  much  of  Christ. 

When  we  are  wearied  of  preaching  Him, 


ONLY   ONE   WAY.  255 

we  are  false  ministers.  When  you  are  wea- 
ried of  hearing  of  Him,  your  souls  are  in  an 
unhealthy  state.  When  we  have  preached  Him 
all  our  lives,  the  half  of  His  excellence  will 
remain  untold.  When  you  see  Him  face  to 
face  in  the  day  of  His  appearing,  you  will  find 
there  was  more  in  Him  than  your  heart  ever 
conceived. 

Let  me  leave  you  with  the  words  of  an  old 
writer,  to  which  I  desire  humbly  to  subscribe : 
— "  I  know  no  true  religion  but  Christianity  ; 
no  true  Christianity  but  the  doctrine  of  Christ, 
— the  doctrine  of  His  divine  person,  of  His 
divine  office,  of  His  divine  righteousness,  and 
of  His  divine  Spirit,  which  all  that  are  His 
receive.  I  know  no  true  ministers  of  Christ, 
but  such  as  make  it  their  business,  in  their 
calling,  to  commend  Jesus  Christ,  in  His  saving 
fulness  of  grace  and  glory,  to  the  faith  and  love 
of  men  ; — no  true  Christian  but  one  united  to 
Christ  by  faith  and  love,  unto  the  glorifying 
of  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  beauty 
of  Gospel  holiness.     Ministers  and  Christians 


256  ONLY  ONE   WAY. 


of  this  spirit  have  been  for  many  years  my 
brethren  and  companions,  and  I  hope  shall 
ever  be,  whithersoever  the  hand  of  God  shall 
lead  me." 


(Clirist  unii  Jji?  tan  €^mn. 


"and  one  of  the  mvlefactors  ■which  ■were  hanged 
railed  on  him,  saying,  if  thou   be   christ,  save   thyself 

AND    US. 

"but  THE  OTHER  ANS'WERING  REBUKED  HIM,  SAYING,  DOST 
NOT  TIIOU  FEAR  GOD,  SEEING  THOU  ART  IN  THE  SAME  CON- 
DEMNATION ? 

"  AND  "WE  INDEED  JUSTLY  :  FOR  WE  RECEIVE  THE  DUE  RE- 
"WARD  OF  OUR  DEEDS  :  BUT  THIS  MAN  HATH  DONE  NOTHING 
AMISS. 

"  AND  HE  SAID  UNTO  JESUS,  LORD,  REMEMBER  ME  "WHEN  THOU 
COMEST    INTO    THY    KINGDOM. 

"and  JESUS  SAID  UNTO  HIM,  VERILY  I  SAY  UNTO  THEE,  TO- 
DAY   SHALT    THOU    BE    ■WITH    ME    IN    PARADISE." 

Luke  xxiii.  39-43 

Reader,— 

You  know  these  verses,  I  suppose.  It 
would  be  strange  indeed  if  you  did  not.  Few 
passages  in  the  New  Testament  are  more  famil- 
iar to  men's  ears. 

And  it  is  right  and  good  that  these  verses 
should  be  well  known.  They  have  comforted 
many   troubled   minds.      They   have  brought 

17 


258         CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

peace  to  many  uneasy  consciences.  They 
have  been  a  heahng  balm  to  many  wounded 
hearts.  They  have  been  a  medicine  to  many 
sin-sick  souls.  They  have  smoothed  down  not 
a  few  dying  pillows.  Wherever  the  Gospel  of 
Christ  is  preached,  they  will  always  be  hon- 
ored, loved,  and  had  in  remembrance. 

Reader,  I  wish  to  speak  to  you  about  these 
verses.  Listen  to  me  while  I  try  to  unfold  the 
leading  lessons  which  they  are  meant  to  teach. 
I  cannot  see  the  state  of  your  heart  before  God, 
but  I  can  see  truths  in  this  passage  which  no 
man  can  ever  know  too  well. 

I.  First  of  all  you  are  meant  to  learn  from 
these  verses  Chrisfs  poioer  and  willingness  to 
save  sinners. 

This  is  the  main  doctrine  to  be  gathered  from 
the  history  of  the  penitent  thief.  It  teaches 
you  that  which  ought  to  be  music  in  the  ears 
of  all  who  hear  it, — it  teaches  you  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  mighty  to  save. 

I  ask  you  if  any  man's  case  could  look  more 
hopeless  and  desperate,  than  that  of  this  peni- 
tent thief  once  did? 


CHKIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         259 

He  was  a  wicked  7nan — a  malefactor, — a 
thief,  if  not  a  murderer.  We  know  this,  for 
such  only  were  crucified.  He  was  suffering 
a  just  punishment  for  breaking  the  laws.  And 
as  he  had  lived  wicked,  so  he  seemed  deter- 
mined to  die  wicked, — for  when  he  first  was 
crucified  he  railed  on  our  Lord. 

And  he  was  a  dying  man.  He  hung  there, 
nailed  to  a  cross,  from  which  he  was  never  to 
come  down  alive.  He  had  no  longer  power  to 
stir  hand  or  foot.  His  hours  were  numbered. 
The  grave  was  ready  for  him.  There  was  but 
a  step  between  him  and  death. 

If  ever  there  was  a  soul  hovering  on  the 
brink  of  hell,  it  was  the  soul  of  this  thief.  If 
ever  there  was  a  case  that  seemed  lost,  gone, 
and  past  recovery,  it  was  his.  If  ever  there 
was  a  child  of  Adam  whom  the  devil  made  sure 
of  as  his  own,  it  was  this  man. 

But  see  now  what  happened.  He  ceased  to 
rail  and  blaspheme,  as  he  had  done  at  the  first. 
He  began  to  speak  in  another  manner  alto- 
gether. He  turned  to  our  blessed  Lord  in 
prayer.     He  prayed  Jesus  to  "  remember  him 


260        CHRIST  AND  THE  TWO  THIEVES. 

when  He  came  into  His  kingdom."  He  asked 
that  his  soul  might  be  cared  for,  his  sins  par- 
doned, and  himself  thought  of  in  another  world. 
Truly  this  was  a  wonderful  change. 

And  then  mark  what  kind  of  answer  he  re- 
ceived. Some  would  have  said  he  was  too 
wicked  a  man  to  be  saved.  But  it  was  not  so. 
Some  would  have  fancied  it  was  too  late,  the 
door  was  shut,  and  there  was  no  room  for 
mercy.  But  it  proved  not  too  late  at  all.  The 
Lord  Jesus  returned  him  an  immediate  answer, 
— spoke  kindly  to  him, — assured  him  he  should 
be  with  Him  that  day  in  paradise, — pardoned 
him  completely — cleansed  him  thoroughly  from 
his  sins — received  him  graciously — justified 
him  freely — raised  him  from  the  gates  of  hell, 
— gave  him  a  title  to  glory.  Of  all  the  multi- 
tude of  saved  souls,  none  ever  received  so 
glorious  an  assurance  of  his  own  salvation,  as 
did  this  penitent  thief  Go  over  the  whole  list 
from  Genesis  to  Revelation,  and  you  will  find 
none  who  had  such  words  spoken  to  them  as 
these,  "  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in 
paradise.''* 


CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         261 

Reader,  the  Lord  Jesus  never  gave  so  com- 
plete a  proof  of  His  power  and  will  to  save,  as 
He  did  upon  this  occasion.  In  the  day  when 
He  seemed  most  weak,  He  showed  that  he  was 
a  strong  deliverer.  In  the  hour  when  his  body 
was  racked  with  pain,  He  showed  that  He 
could  feel  tenderly  for  others.  At  the  time 
when  He  Himself  was  dying,  he  conferred  on 
a  sinner  eternal  life. 

Now  have  I  not  a  right  to  say,  "  Jesus  is 
able  to  save  to  the  uttermost  all  them  that 
come  unto  God  through  Him  ?"  Behold  the 
proof  of  it.  If  ever  sinner  was  too  far  gone  to 
be  saved,  it  was  this  thief.  Yet  he  was  plucked 
as  a  brand  from  the  fire. 

Have  I  not  a  right  to  say,  "  Christ  will  re- 
ceive any  poor  sinner  who  comes  to  Him  with 
the  prayer  of  faith,  and  cast  out  none?"  Be- 
hold the  proof  of  it.  If  ever  there  was  one  that 
seemed  too  bad  to  be  received,  this  was  the 
man.  Yet  the  door  of  mercy  was  wide  open 
even  for  him. 

Have  I  not  a  right  to  say,  "  By  grace  ye  may 
be  saved  through  faith,  not  of  works, — fear  not, 


262  CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

only  believe  ?"  Behold  the  proof  of  it.  This 
thief  was  never  baptized.  He  belonged  to  no 
visible  church.  He  never  received  the  Lord's 
Supper.  He  never  did  any  work  for  Christ. 
He  never  gave  money  to  Christ's  cause, — But 
he  had  faith,  and  so  he  was  saved. 

Have  I  not  a  right  to  say,  "  The  youngest 
faith  will  save  a  man's  soul,  if  it  only  be  true  ?" 
Behold  the  proof  of  it.  This  man's  faith  was 
only  one  day  old,  hut  it  led  him  to  Christ,  and 
preserved  him  from  hell. 

Why  then  should  any  man  or  woman  de- 
spair with  such  a  passage  as  this  in  the  Bible  ? 
Jesus  is  a  physician  who  can  cure  hopeless 
cases.  He  can  quicken  dead  souls,  and  call 
the  things  which  be  not  as  though  they  were. 

Never  should  any  man  or  woman  despair ! 
Jesus  is  still  the  same  now  that  He  was  eighteen 
hundred  years  ago.  The  keys  of  death  and 
hell  are  in  His  hand.  When  He  opens  none 
can  shut.* 

*  "  0  Saviour,  what  a  precedent  is  this  of  thy  free  and 
powerful  grace !  "Where  thou  wilt  give,  wliat  unworthiness 
can  bar  us  frona  thy  mercy  ?     Whe-n  thou  wilt  give,  what 


CHEIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         263 

What  though  your  sins  be  more  in  number 
than  the  hairs  of  your  head  ?  What  though 
your  evil  habits  have  grown  with  your  growth, 
and  strengthened  with  your  strength  ?  What 
though  you  have  hitherto  hated  good,  and  loved 
evil,  all  the  days  of  your  life  ?  These  things 
are  sad  indeed;  but  there  is  hope  even  for  you. 
Christ  can  heal  you.  Christ  can  cleanse  you. 
Christ  can  raise  you  from  your  low  estate. 
Heaven  is  not  shut  against  you.  Christ  is  able 
to  admit  you,  if  you  w^ill  humbly  commit  your 
soul  into  His  hands. 

Reader,  are  your  sins  forgiven  ?  If  not,  I 
set  before  you  this  day  a  full  and  free  salva- 
tion. I  invite  you  to  follow  the  steps  of  the 
penitent  thief, — come  to  Christ,  and  live.  I 
tell  you  that  Jesus  is  very  pitiful,  and  of  tender 
mercy.  I  tell  you  He  can  do  everything  that 
your  soul  requires.  Though  your  sins  be  as 
scarlet,  He  can  make  them  white  as  snow ; 
though  they  be  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  be 

time  can  prejudice  our  vocation  ?  Who  can  despair  of  thy 
goodness  when  he,  that  in  the  morning  was  posting  to  hell, 
is  in  the  evening  with  thee  in  paradise  ?" — Bishop  Hall. 


264        CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

as  wool.  Why  should  you  not  be  saved  as 
well  as  another?  Come  unto  Christ  by  faith, 
and  live. 

Reader,  are  you  a  true  believer  ?  If  you 
are,  you  ought  to  glory  in  Christ.  Glory  not 
in  your  own  faith,  your  own  feelings,  your  own 
knowledge,  your  own  prayers,  your  own  annend- 
ment,  your  own  diligence.  Glory  in  nothing 
but  Christ.  Alas !  the  best  of  us  knows  but 
little  of  that  merciful  and  mighty  Saviour.  We 
do  not  exalt  Him  and  glory  in  Him  enough. 
Let  us  pray  that  we  may  see  more  of  the  ful- 
ness there  is  in  Him. 

Reader,  do  you  ever  try  to  do  good  to  others  ? 
If  you  do,  remember  to  tell  them  about  Christ. 
Tell  the  young,  tell  the  poor,  tell  the  aged,  tell 
the  ignorant,  tell  the  sick,  tell  the  dying, — tell 
them  all  about  Christ.  Tell  them  of  His  power, 
and  tell  them  of  His  love.  Tell  them  of  His 
doings,  and  tell  them  of  His  feelings.  Tell 
them  of  what  He  has  done  for  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners. Tell  them  what  He  is  willing  to  do  to 
the  last  day  of  time.  Tell  it  them  over  and 
over  again.      Never  be   tired  of  speaking  of 


CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         265 


Christ.  Say  to  them  broadly  and  fully,  freely 
and  unconditionally,  unreservedly  and  undoubt- 
ingly,  •'  Come  unto  Christ  as  the  penitent  thief 
did, — come  unto  Christ,  and  you  shall  be  saved." 
II.  The  second  lesson  you  are  meant  to 
learn  from  this  passage  is  this,  If  some  are  saved 
in  the  very  hour  of  death,  others  are  not. 

This  is  a  truth  that  never  ought  to  be  passed 
over,  and  I  dare  not  leave  it  unnoticed.  It  is 
a  truth  that  stands  out  plainly  in  the  sad  end 
of  the  other  malefactor,  and  is  only  too  often 
forgotten. 

What  became  of  the  other  thief  who  was 
crucified  ?  Why  did  he  not  turn  from  sin,  and 
call  upon  the  Lord?  Why  did  he  remain 
hardened  and  impenitent  ?  Why  was  he  not 
saved  ?  It  is  useless  to  try  to  answer  such 
questions.  Let  us  be  content  to  take  the  fact  as 
we  find  it,  and  see  what  it  is  meant  to  teach  us. 
We  have  no  right  whatever  to  say  this  thief 
was  a  worse  man  than  his  companion.  There 
is  nothing  to  prove  it.  Both  plainly  were  wick- 
ed men.  Both  were  receiving  the  due  reward 
of  their  deeds.     Both  hung  by  the  side  of  our 


266         CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Both  heard  Him  pray  for 
His  murderers.  Both  saw  Him  suffer  patiently. 
But  while  one  repented,  the  other  remained 
hardened.  While  one  began  to  pray,  the  other 
went  on  railing.  While  one  was  converted  in 
his  last  hours,  the  other  died  a  bad  man  as  he 
had  lived.  While  one  was  taken  to  paradise, 
the  other  went  to  his  own  place,  the  place  of 
the  devil  and  his  angels. 

Now  these  things  are  written  for  our  warn- 
ing. There  is  warning  as  well  as  comfort  in 
these  verses,  and  that  very  solemn  warning  too. 

They  tell  me  loudly,  that  though  some  may 
repent  and  be  converted  on  their  death-beds,  it 
does  not  at  all  follow  that  all  will.  A  death- 
bed is  not  always  a  saving  time. 

They  tell  me  loudly,  that  two  men  may  have 
the  same  opportunities  of  getting  good  for  their 
souls,  may  be  placed  in  the  same  position,  see 
the  same  things,  and  hear  the  same  things, — 
and  yet  only  one  shall  take  advantage  of  them, 
repent,  believe,  and  be  saved. 

They  tell  me,  above  all,  that  repentance  and 
faith  are  the  gifts  of  God,  and  are  not  in  a 


CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         267' 

man's  own  power ;  and  that  if  any  one  flatters 
himself  he  can  repent  at  his  own  time,  choose 
his  own  season,  seek  the  Lord  when  he  please, 
and,  like  the  penitent  thief,  be  saved  at  the  very- 
last, — he  may  find  at  length  that  he  is  greatly 
deceived. 

And  it  is  good  and  profitable  to  bear  this  in 
mind.  There  is  an  immense  amount  of  delu- 
sion in  the  world  on  this  very  subject.  I  see 
many  allowing  life  to  slip  away,  all  unprepared 
to  die.  I  see  many  allowing  that  they  ought 
to  repent,  but  always  putting  off  their  own  re- 
pentance. And  I  believe  one  grand  reason  is, 
that  most  men  suppose  they  can  turn  to  God 
just  when  they  like.  They  wrest  the  parable 
of  the  laborer  in  the  vineyard,  which  speaks  of 
the  eleventh  hour,  and  use  it  as  it  never  was 
meant  to  be  used.  They  dwell  on  the  pleasant 
part  of  the  verses  I  am  now  considering,  and 
forget  the  rest.  They  talk  of  the  thief  that 
went  to  paradise,  and  was  saved,  and  forget 
the  one  who  died  as  he  had  lived, — and  was 
lost.* 

*  "  He  that  puts  off  his  repentance  and  seeking  for  pardon 


268         CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO  THIEVES. 

Reader,  take  heed  that  you  do  not  fall  into 
this  mistake.  Look  at  the  history  of  men  in 
the  Bible,  and  see  how  often  these  notions  I 
have  been  speaking  of  are  contradicted.  Mark 
well  how  many  proofs  there  are  that  two  men 
may  have  the  same  light  offered  them,  and 
only  one  use  it ;  and  that  no  one  has  a  right 
to  take  liberties  with  God's  mercy,  and  pre- 
sume he  will  be  able  to  repent  just  when  he 
likes. 

Look  at  Saul  and  David.  They  lived  about 
the  same  time.  They  rose  from  the  same  rank 
in  life.  They  were  called  to  the  same  position 
in  the  world.     They  enjoyed  the  ministry  of 

to  the  very  last,  in  reliance  upon  this  example,  does  but 
tempt  God,  and  turn  that  to  his  own  poison  which  God  in- 
tended for  better  ends." 

"  The  mercies  of  God  are  never  recorded  in  Scripture  for 
man's  presumption,  and  the  failings  of  men  never  for  imita- 
tion."— Lightfoot.     Sermon.  1G84. 

"  Most  ungrateful  and  foolish  is  the  conduct  of  those  who 
take  encouragement  from  the  penitent  thief  to  put  off  repent- 
ance to  a  dying  moment; — most  ungrateful  in  perverting  the 
grace  of  their  Hedeemer  into  an  occasion  of  renewing  their 
provocations  against  Him  ; — and  most  foolish  to  imagine  that 
what  our  Lord  did  in  so  singular  circumstances,  is  to  be 
drawn  into  an  ordinary  precedent." — Doddridge. 


CHRIST  AND  THE  TWO  THIEVES.        269 


the  same  prophet,  Samuel.  They  reigned  the 
same  number  of  years. — Yet  one  was  saved, 
and  the  other  lost. 

Look  at  Sergius  Paulus  and  Gallio.  They 
were  both  Roman  governors.  They  were  both 
wise  and  prudent  men  in  their  generation. 
They  both  heard  the  Apostle  Paul  preach.  But 
ane  believed,  and  was  baptized,  —  the  other 
"  cared  for  none  of  these  things."  (Acts  xviii.  17.) 

Look  at  the  world  around  you.  See  what  is 
going  on  continually  under  your  eyes.  Two 
sisters  will  often  attend  the  same  ministry,  listen 
to  the  same  truths,  hear  the  same  sermons  ; 
and  yet  only  one  shall  be  converted  to  God, 
while  the  other  remains  totally  unmoved.  Two 
friends  often  read  the  same  religious  book. 
One  is  so  moved  by  it,  that  he  gives  up  all  for 
Christ :  the  other  sees  nothing  at  all  in  it,  and 
continues  the  same  as  before.  Hundreds  have 
read  Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress  without 
profit.  With  Wilberforce  it  was  one  of  the 
beginnings  of  spiritual  life.  Thousands  have 
read  Wilberforce's  Practical  View  of  Christi- 
anity, and  laid  it  down  again  unaltered; — from 


270         CHRIST  AND  THE  TWO  THIEVES. 

the  time  Legh  Richmond  read  it  he  became 
another  man.  No  man  has  any  warrant  for 
saying,  Salvation  is  in  my  own  power. 

Reader,  I  do  not  pretend  to  explain  these 
things.  I  only  put  them  before  you  as  great 
facts.     And  I  ask  you  to  consider  them  well. 

You  must  not  misunderstand  me.  I  do  not 
want  to  discourage  you.  I  say  these  things  in 
all  affection  to  give  you  warning  of  danger.  I 
do  not  say  them  to  drive  you  back  from  heav- 
en ; — I  say  them  rather  to  draw  you  on,  and 
bring  you  to  Christ  while  He  can  be  found. 

I  want  you  to  beware  of  presumption.  Do 
not  abuse  God's  mercy  and  compassion.  Do 
not  continue  in  sin,  I  beseech  you,  and  think 
you  can  repent,  and  believe,  and  be  saved,  just 
when  you  like,  when  you  please,  when  you  will, 
and  when  you  choose.  I  would  always  set 
before  you  an  open  door.  I  would  always  say, 
while  there  is  life  there  is  hope.  But  if  you 
would  be  wise,  put  nothing  off  that  concerns 
your  soul. 

I  want  you  to  beware  of  letting  slip  good 
thoughts  and  godly  convictions,  if  you  have 


CHKIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.        271 

them.  Cherish  them  and  nourish  them,  lest 
you  lose  them  forever.  Make  the  most  of 
them,  lest  they  take  to  themselves  wings  and 
flee  away.  Have  you  an  inclination  to  begin 
praying  ?  Put  it  in  practice  at  once.  Have 
you  an  idea  of  beginning  really  to  serve 
Christ  ?  Set  about  it  at  once.  Are  you  en- 
joying any  spiritual  light  ?  See  that  you  live 
up  to  your  light.  Trifle  not  with  opportunities, 
lest  the  day  come  when  you  will  want  to  use 
them,  and  not  be  able.  Linger  not,  lest  you 
become  wise  too  late. 

You  may  say,  perhaps,  "  It  is  never  too  late 
to  repent."  I  answer,  That  is  right  enough 
but  late  repentance  is  seldom  true.  And  1  saj- 
further,  you  cannot  be  certain  if  you  put  oflf 
repenting,  you  will  repent  at  all. 

You  may  say,  "  Why  should  I  be  afraid  ? — 
the  penitent  thief  was  saved."  I  answer.  That 
is  true,  but  look  again  at  the  passage,  which 
tells  you  that  the  other  thief  was  lost. 

III.  The  third  lesson  you  are  meant  to  learn 
from  these  verses  is  this ;  the  Spirit  always 
leads  saved  souls  in  one  way. 


272         CHRIST  AND  THE  TWO  THIEVES. 

This  is  a  point  that  deserves  particular  at- 
tention, and  is  often  overlooked.  Men  look  at 
the  broad  fact  that  the  penitent  thief  was 
saved  when  he  was  dying,  and  they  look  no 
further. 

They  do  not  consider  the  evidences  this 
thief  left  behind  him.  They  do  not  observe  the 
abundant  proofs  he  gave  of  the  work  of  the 
Spirit  in  his  heart.  And  these  proofs  I  wish  to 
trace  out.  I  wish  to  show  you  that  the  Spirit 
always  works  in  one  way,  and  that  whether 
He  converts  a  man  in  an  hour — as  He  did  the 
penitent  thief — or  whether  by  slow  degrees,  as 
he  does  others,  the  steps  by  which  He  leads 
souls  to  heaven  are  always  the  same. 

Listen  to  me.  Reader,  and  I  will  try  to  make 
this  clear  to  you.  I  want  you  to  shake  off  the 
common  notion,  that  there  is  some  easy  royal 
road  to  heaven  from  a  dying-bed.  I  want  you 
thoroughly  to  understand  that  every  saved  soul 
goes  through  the  same  experience,  and  that 
the  leading  principles  of  the  penitent  thief's 
religion  were  just  the  same  as  those  of  the  old- 
est saint  that  ever  lived. 


CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         273 

See  then,  for  one  thing,  Jiow  strong  was  the 
faith  of  this  man. 

He  called  Jesus,  "  Lord."  He  declared  his 
belief  that  he  would  have  a  kingdom.  He  be- 
lieved that  He  was  able  to  give  him  eternal 
life  and  glory,  and  in  this  belief  prayed  to  Him. 
He  maintained  His  innocence  of  all  the 
charges  brought  against  Him :  "  This  man," 
said  he,  "  hath  done  nothing  amiss."  Others 
perhaps  may  have  thought  the  Lord  innocent, 
— none  said  so  openly  but  this  poor  dying 
man. 

And  when  did  all  this  happen  ?  It  happen- 
ed when  the  whole  nation  had  denied  Christ, 
— shouting,  "  Crucify  him,  crucify  him  ;  we 
have  no  king  but  Caesar," — when  the  chief 
priests  and  pharisees  had  condemned  and  founa 
Him  guilty  of  death, — when  even  His  own 
disciples  had  forsaken  Him  and  fled, — when  He 
was  hanging,  faint,  bleeding,  and  dying  on  the 
cross,  numbered  with  transgressors,  and  count- 
ed accursed.  This  was  the  hour  when  the 
thief  believed  in  Christ,  and  prayed  to  Him. 

18 


274         CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

Surely   such  faith  was   never  seen  since   the 
world  began.* 

The  disciples  had  seen  mighty  signs  and 
miracles.  They  had  seen  the  dead  raised  with 
a   word,  and    lepers   healed   with    a   touch, — 

*  "  I  kno"w  not  that  since  the  creation  of  the  "world  there 
ever  was  a  more  remarkable  and  striking  example  of  faith." 
— CalvirCs  Commentary  on  the  Gospels. 

"A  great  faith  that  can  see  the  sun  under  so  thick  a 
cloud;  that  can  discover  a  Christ,  a  Saviour,  under  such  a 
poor,  scorned,  despised,  crucified  Jesus,  and  call  him  Lord. 

"  A  great  faitlx  that  could  see  Christ's  kingdom  through 
His  cross,  and  grave,  and  death,  and  when  there  was  so 
little  sign  of  a  kingdom,  and  pray  to  be  remembered  in  that 
kingdom." — Liyhtfoot.     Sermon.     1684. 

"  The  penitent  thief  was  the  first  confessor  of  Christ's 
heavenly  kingdom, — the  first  martyr  who  bore  testimony 
to  the  holiness  of  His  sufferings, — and  the  first  apologist 
for  His  oppressed  innocence." — Qaesnel  on  the  Gospels. 

"  Probably  there  are  few  saints  in  glory  who  ever  honored 
Christ  more  illustriously  than  tins  dying  sinner." — Doddridge. 

"■  Is  this  the  voice  of  a  thief  or  a  disciple  ?  Give  me  leave, 
O  Saviour,  to  borrow  thine  own  words,  '  Verily  I  have  not 
found  so  great  faith,  no  not  in  Israel,'  He  saw  thee  hanging 
miserably  by  him,  and  yet  styles  thee  Lord.  He  saw  thee 
dying,  and  yet  talks  of  thy  kingdom.  He  felt  himself  dying, 
yet  talks  of  a  future  remembrance.  0  faith,  stronger  than 
death,  which  can  look  beyond  the  cross  at  a  crown  ; — beyond 
dissolution  at  a  remembrance  of  life  and  glory  !  Which  of 
thine  eleven  were  heard  to  speak  so  gracious  a  word  to  thee 
in  these  thy  last  pangs  ?" — Bishop  Hall. 


CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         275 

the  blind  receiving  sight, — the  dumb  made  to 
speak, — the  lame  made  to  walk.  They  had 
seen  thousands  fed  with  a  few  loaves  and  fishes. 
They  had  seen  their  Master  walking  on  the 
water  as  on  dry  land.  They  had  all  of  them 
heard  Him  speak  as  no  man  ever  spake,  and 
hold  out  promises  of  good  things  yet  to  come. 
They  had  some  of  them  had  a  foretaste  of  His 
glory  in  the  mount  of  transfiguration.  Doubt- 
less their  faith  was  the  gift  of  God,  but  still  they 
had  much  to  help  it. 

The  dying  thief  saw  none  of  the  things  I 
have  mentioned.  He  only  saw  our  Lord  in 
agony,  and  in  weakness,  in  suffering  and  in 
pain.  He  saw  Him  undergoing  a  dishonorable 
punishment,  deserted,  mocked,  despised,  blas- 
phemed. He  saw  Him  rejected  by  all  the  great, 
and  wise,  and  noble  of  His  own  people, — His 
strength  dried  up  like  a  potsherd,  his  life  draw- 
ing to  the  grave.  (Psalm  xxii.  15.  Ixxxviii.  3.) 
He  saw  no  sceptre,  no  royal  crown,  no  outward 
dominion,  no  glory,  no  majesty,  no  power,  no 
signs  of  might.  And  yet  the  dying  thief  be- 
lieved and  looked  forward  to  Christ's  kingdom. 


276         CHRIST  AND'  THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

Reader,  would  you  know  if  you  have  the 
Spirit?  Then  mark  the  question  I  put  to  you 
this  day  : — Where  is  your  faith  in  Christ  ? 

See,  for  another  thing,  n^hat  a  right  sense 
of  sin  the  thief  had.  He  says  to  his  com- 
panion, "  We  receive  the  due  reward  of  our 
deeds."  He  acknowledges  his  own  ungodli- 
ness, and  the  justice  of  his  punishment.  He 
makes  no  attempt  to  justify  himself,  or  excuse 
his  wickedness.  He  speaks  like  a  man  hum- 
bled and  self-abased  by  the  remembrance  of  past 
iniquities.  This  is  what  all  God's  children  feel. 
They  are  ready  to  allow  they  are  poor  hell- 
deserving  sinners.  They  can  say  with  their 
hearts,  as  well  as  with  their  lips,  "  We  have  left 
undone  the  things  that  we  ought  to  have  done, 
and  we  have  done  those  things  that  we  ought 
not  to  have  done,  and  there  is  no  health  in  us." 

Reader,  would  you  know  if  you  had  the 
Spirit  ?  Then  mark  my  question  : — Do  you 
feel  your  sin? 

See,  for  another  thing,  what  brotherly  love 
the  thief  showed  to  his  companion.  He  tried 
to  stop  his  railing  and  blaspheming,  and  bring 


CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         277 

him  to  a  better  mind.  "Dost  thou  not  fear 
God,"  he  says,  ''seeing  thou  art  in  the  same 
condemnation  ?"  There  is  no  surer  mark  of 
grace  than  this.  Grace  shakes  a  man  out  of 
his  selfishness,  and  makes  him  feel  for  the  souls 
of  others.  When  the  Samaritan  woman  was 
converted,  she  left  her  water  pot,  and  ran  to 
the  city,  saying,  "  Come  see  a  man  that  told 
me  all  things  that  ever  I  did ;  is  not  this  the 
Christ  ?"  (John  iv.  29.)  When  Saul  was  con- 
verted, immediately  he  went  to  the  synagogue 
at  Damascus,  and  testified  to  his  brethren  of 
Israel,  that  Jesus  was  the  Christ.   (Acts  ix.  20.) 

Reader,  would  you  know  if  you  had  the 
Spirit  ?  Then  where  is  your  charity  and  love 
to  souls  ? 

In  one  word,  you  see  in  the  penitent  thief  a 
finished  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Every  part 
of  the  believer's  character  may  be  traced  in 
him.  Short  as  his  life  was  after  conversion,  he 
found  time  to  leave  abundant  evidence  that  he 
was  a  child  of  God.  His  faith, — his  prayer, — 
his  humility, — his  brotherly  love, — are  unmis- 
takable witnesses   of  the  reality  of  his  repent- 


278         CHEIST  AND   THE  TWO   THIEVES. 

ance.  He  was  not  a  penitent  in  name  onl}^, 
but  in  deed  and  in  truth. 

Let  no  man  therefore  think,  because  the 
penitent  thief  was  saved,  that  men  can  be 
saved  without  leaving  any  evidence  of  the 
Spirit's  work.  Let  such  an  one  consider  well 
what  evidence  this  man  left  behind,  and  take 
care. 

It  is  mournful  to  hear  what  people  sometimes 
say  about  what  they  call  death-bed  evidences. 
It  is  perfectly  fearful  to  observe  how  little  satis- 
fies some  persons,  and  how  easily  they  can 
persuade  themselves  that  their  friends  are  gone 
to  heaven.  They  will  tell  you  when  their  rela- 
tion is  dead  and  gone,  that  "  he  made  such  a 
beautiful  prayer  one  day, — or  that  he  talked  so 
well, — or  that  he  was  so  sorry  for  his  old  ways, 
and  intended  to  live  so  differently  if  he  got 
better, — or  that  he  craved  nothing  in  this 
world, — or  that  he  liked  people  to  read  to  him, 
and  pray  with  him."  And  because  they  have 
this  to  go  upon  they  seem  to  have  a  comfor- 
table hope  that  he  is  saved.  Christ  may  never 
have  been  named, — the  way  of  salvation  may 


CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         279 


never  have  been  in  the  least  mentioned.  But 
it  matters  not ;  there  was  a  Httle  talk  of  re- 
ligion, and  so  they  are  content. 

Now  I  have  no  desire  to  hurt  the  feelings  of 
any  one  who  reads  this  paper,  but  I  must  and 
will  speak  plainly  on  this  subject. 

Once  for  all  let  me  say  that,  as  a  general 
rule,  nothing  is  so  unsatisfactory  as  death-bed 
evidences.  The  things  that  men  say,  and  the 
feelings  they  express  when  sick  and  frightened, 
are  little  to  be  depended  on.  Often,  too  often, 
they  are  the  result  of  fear,  and  do  not  spring 
from  the  ground  of  the  heart.  Often,  too  often, 
they  are  things  said  by  rote,  caught  from  the 
lips  of  ministers  and  anxious  friends,  but  evi- 
dently not  felt.  And  nothing  can  prove  all  this 
more  clearly  than  the  well-known  fact,  that  the 
great  majority  of  persons  who  make  promises 
of  amendment  on  a  sick-bed,  if  tb^y  recover, 
go  back  to  sin  and  the  world. 

When  a  man  has  lived  a  life  of  thoughtless- 
ness and  folly,  I  want  something  more  than  a 
few  fair  words,  and  good  wishes,  to  satisfy  me 
about  his  soul  when  he  comes  to  his  death-bed 


280         CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO    THIEVES. 

It  is  not  enough  for  me  that  he  will  let  me  read 
the  Bible  to  him,  and  pray  by  his  bedside;  that 
he  says,  "  he  has  not  thought  so  much  as  he 
ought  of  religion,  and  he  thinks  he  should  be  a 
different  man  if  he  got  better."  All  this  does 
not  content  me, — it  does  not  make  me  feel  hap- 
py about  his  state.  It  is  very  well  as  far  as  it 
goes,  but  it  is  not  conversion.  It  is  very  well 
in  its  way,  but  it  is  not  faith  in  Christ.  Until 
I  see  conversion,  and  faith  in  Christ,  I  cannot 
and  dare  not  feel  satisfied.  Others  may  feel 
satisfied,  if  they  please,  and  after  their  friend's 
death  say,  they  hope  he  has  gone  to  heaven. 
For  my  part  I  would  rather  say  nothing  at  all. 
I  would  be  content  with  the  least  measure  of 
repentance  and  faith  in  a  dying  man,  even 
though  it  were  no  bigger  than  a  grain  of  mus- 
tard seed  ;  but  to  be  content  with  anything  less 
than  repentance  and  faith  seems  to  me  next 
door  to  infidelity. 

Reader,  what  kind  of  evidence  do  you  mean 
to  leave  behind  as  to  the  state  of  your  soul  ? 
Take  example  by  the  penitent  thief,  and  you 
will  do  well. 


CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         281 

When  we  have  carried  you  to  your  narrow 
bed,  let  us  not  have  to  hunt  up  stray  words, 
and  scraps  of  religion,  in  order  to  make  out 
that  you  were  a  true  believer.  Let  us  not 
have  to  say  in  a  hesitating  way  one  to  an- 
other, "  I  trust  he  is  happy,  he  talked  so  nicely 
one  day,  and  he  seemed  so  pleased  with  a 
chapter  in  the  Bible  on  another  occasion,  and 
he  liked  such  a  person  who  is  a  good  man." 
Let  us  be  able  to  speak  decidedly  as  to  your 
condition.  Let  us  have  some  standing  proof 
of  your  penitence,  your  faith,  and  your  holiness, 
that  none  shall  be  able  for  a  moment  to  ques- 
tion your  state.  Depend  on  it,  without  this, 
those  you  leave  behind  can  feel  no  solid  com- 
fort about  your  soul.  We  may  use  the  form 
of  religion  at  your  burial,  and  express  charita- 
ble hopes.  We  may  meet  you  at  the  church- 
yard gate,  and  say,  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  that 
die  in  the  Lord."  But  this  will  not  alter  youi 
condition.  If  you  die  without  conversion  to 
Godj^without  repentance, — and  without  faith, 
your  funeral  will  only  be  the  funeral  of  a  lost 
soul. 


282         CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

IV.  You  are  meant  in  the  next  place  to 
learn  from  these  verses  that  believers  in  Christ 
when  they  die,  are  with  the  Lord. 

This  you  may  gather  from  our  Lord's  words 
to  the  penitent  thief,  "  This  day  shalt  thou  be 
with  me  in  paradise."  And  you  have  an  ex- 
pression very  like  it  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Phil- 
ippians,  where  Paul  says  he  has  a  desire  to 
"depart  and  be  with  Christ."   (Phil.  i.  23.) 

I  shall  say  but  little  on  this  subject.  I  would 
simply  lay  it  before  you  for  your  own  private 
meditations.  To  my  own  mind  it  is  very  full 
of  comfort  and  peace. 

Believers  after  death  are  "  with  Christ."  That 
answers  many  a  difficult  question,  which  oth- 
erwise might  puzzle  man's  busy,  restless  mind. 
The  abode  of  dead  saints,  their  joys,  their  feel- 
ings, their  happiness,  all  seems  met  by  this  sim- 
ple expression, — They  are  with  Christ. 

I  cannot  enter  into  full  explanations  about 
the  state  of  departed  believers.  It  is  a  high 
and  deep  subject,  such  as  man's  mind  can  nei- 
ther grasp  nor  fathom.  I  know  their  happiness 
falls  short  of  what  it  will  be  when  their  bodies 


CHKIST   AND  THE   TWO   THIEVES.         283 


are  raised  again,  and  Jesus  returns  to  earth. 
Yet  I  know  also  they  enjoy  a  blessed  rest, — a 
rest  from  labor, — a  rest  from  sorrow, — a  rest 
from  pain, — and  a  rest  from  sin.  But  it  does 
not  follow  because  I  cannot  explain  these 
things,  that  I  am  not  persuaded  they  are  far 
happier  than  they  ever  were  on  earth.  I  see 
their  happiness  in  this  very  passage,  "  They  are 
with  Christ,"  and  when  I  see  that  I  see  enough. 

If  the  sheep  are  with  the  Shepherd, — if  the 
members  are  with  the  Head, — if  the  children 
of  Christ's  family  are  with  Him  who  loved 
them  and  carried  them  all  the  days  of  their  pil- 
grimage on  earth,  all  must  be  well,  all  must  be 
right. 

I  cannot  describe  what  kind  of  a  place  para- 
dise is,  but  I  ask  no  brighter  view  of  it  than 
this,  that  Christ  is  there.*     All  other  things  in 

*  "  We  ought  not  to  enter  into  curious  and  subtle  argu- 
ments about  the  place  of  paradise.  Let  us  rest  satisfied  with 
knowing  that  those  who  are  engrafted  by  faith  into  the  body 
of  Christ  are  partakers  of  life,  and  there  enjoy  after  death  a 
blessed  and  joyful  rest,  until  the  perfect  glory  of  the  heavenly 
life  is  fully  manifested  by  the  coming  of  Christ." — Calvin's 
Commentary  on  the  Gospels. 


284        CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

the  picture  which  imagination  draws  of  para- 
dise are  nothing  in  comparison  of  this.  How 
He  is  there,  and  in  what  way  He  is  there,  I 
know  not.  Let  me  only  see  Christ  in  paradise 
when  my  eyes  close  in  death,  and  that  suffices 
me.  Well  does  the  Psalmist  say,  "  In  thy 
presence  is  fulness  of  joy."  It  was  a  true  say- 
ing of  a  dying  girl,  when  her  mother  tried  to 
comfort  her  by  describing  what  paradise  would 
be,  "  There,"  she  said  to  the  child,  "  there  you 
will  have  no  pains,  and  no  sickness ;  there  you 
will  see  your  brothers  and  sisters  who  have 
gone  before  you,  and  will  be  always  happy." 
*'  Ah !  mother,"  was  the  reply,  "  but  there  is 
one  thing  better  than  all.  and  that  is,  Christ 
will  he  there." 

Reader,  it  may  be  you  do  not  think  much 
about  your  soul.  It  may  be  you  know  little 
of  Christ  as  your  Saviour,  and  have  never 
tasted  by  experience  that  He  is  precious.  And 
yet  perhaps  you  hope  to  go  to  paradise  when  you 
die.  Surely  this  passage  is  one  that  should 
make  you  think.     Paradise  is   a  place  where 


CHKIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         285 

Christ  is.  Then  can  it  be  a  place  that  you  would 
enjoy  ? 

Reader,  it  may  be  you  are  a  believer,  and 
yet  tremble  at  the  thought  of  the  grave.  It 
seems  cold  and  dreary.  You  feel  as  if  all  be- 
fore you  was  dark,  and  gloomy,  and  comfort- 
less. Fear  not,  but  be  encouraged  by  this  text. 
You  are  going  to  paradise,  and  Christ  will  be 
there. 

V.  The  last  thing  you  are  meant  to  learn 
from  these  verses  is  this,  ''the  eternal  portion 
of  every  man's  soul  is  close  to  him." 

"  To-day,"  says  our  Lord  to  the  penitent 
thief,  "to-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  para- 
dise." He  names  no  distant  period, — He  does 
not  talk  of  his  entering  into  a  state  of  happi- 
ness as  a  thing  "far  away."  He  speaks  of  to- 
day, "  this  very  day  in  which  thou  art  hanging 
on  the  cross." 

Reader,  how  near  that  seems!  How  awfully 
near  that  word  brings  our  everlasting  dwelling- 
place. — Happiness  or  misery, — sorrow  or  joy, 
— the  presence  of  Christ,  or  the  company  of 
devils, — all  are  close  to  us.     "  There  is  but  a 


286        CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES. 

step,"  says  David,  "  between  me  and  death.'* 
(1  Sam.  XX.  3.)  There  is  but  a  step,  we  may 
say,  between  ourselves  and  either  paradise  or 
hell. 

We  none  of  us  realize  this  as  we  ought  to 
do.  It  is  high  time  to  shake  off  the  dreamy 
state  of  mind  in  which  we  live  on  this  matter- 
We  are  apt  to  talk  or  think,  even  about  be- 
lievers, as  if  death  was  a  long  journey, — as 
if  the  dying  saint  had  embarked  on  a  long 
voyage.  It  is  all  wrong,  very  wrong.  Their 
harbor  and  their  home  is  close  by,  and  they 
have  entered  in. 

Some  of  us  know  by  bitter  experience  what 
a  long  and  weary  time  it  is  between  the  death 
of  those  we  love,  and  the  hour  when  we  bury 
them  out  of  sight.  Such  weeks  are  the  slowest, 
saddest,  heaviest  weeks  in  all  our  lives.  But, 
blessed  be  God,  the  souls  of  departed  saints  are 
free  from  the  very  moment  their  last  breath  is 
drawn.  While  we  are  weeping,  and  the  coffin 
preparing,  and  the  mourning  being  provided, 
and  the  last  painful  arrangement  being  made, 
the  spirits  of  our  beloved  ones  are  enjoying  the 


CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         287 

presence  of  Christ.  They  are  freed  forever 
from  the  burden  of  the  flesh.  They  are  where 
the  wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary 
are  at  rest. 

Reader,  the  day  that  believers  die  they  are 
in  paradise.  Their  battle  is  fought ; — their 
strife  is  over.  They  have  passed  through  that 
gloomy  valley  we  must  one  day  tread  ; — they 
have  gone  over  that  dark  river  w^e  must  one 
day  cross.  They  have  drank  that  last  bitter 
cup  which  sin  has  mingled  for  man.  They 
have  reached  that  place  where  sorrovs/-  and 
sighing  are  no  more.  Surely  we  should  jiot 
wish  them  back  again.  We  shpuld  not  weep 
for  them,  but  for  ourselves. 

We  are  warring  still,  but  they  are  at  peace. 
We  are  laboring,  but  they  are  at  rest.  We  are 
watching,  but  they  are  sleeping.  We  are  wear- 
ing our  spiritual  armor,  but  they  have  forever 
put  it  off.  We  are  still  at  sea,  but  they  are 
safe  in  harbor.  We  have  tears,  but  they  have 
joy.  We  are  strangers  and  pilgrims,  but  as 
for  them  they  are  at  home.  Surely,  better  are 
the  dead  in  Christ  than  the  living.     Surely  the 


288         CHRIST  AND  THE  TWO  THIEVES. 

very  hour  the  poor  saint  dies  he  is  at  once 
higher  and  happier  than  the  highest  upon  earth.* 

I  fear  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  delusion  on 
this  point.  I  fear  that  many,  who  are  not  Ro- 
man Cathohcs,  and  profess  not  to  beheve  in 
purgatory,  have,  notwithstanding,  some  strange 
ideas  in  their  minds  about  the  immediate  con- 
sequences of  death.  I  fear  that  many  have  a 
sort  of  vague  notion  that  there  is  some  interval 
or  space  of  time  betw^een  death  and  their  eter- 
nal state.  They  fancy  they  shall  go  through  a 
kind  of  purifying  change,  and  that  though  they 
die  unfit  for  heaven,  they  shall  yet  be  found 
meet  for  it  after  all. 

But  it  ^vill  not  stand.  There  is  no  change 
after  death.  There  is  no  conversion  in  the 
grave.     There  is  no  new  heart  given  after  the 

*  "  We  give  thee  hearty  thanks,  for  that  it  hath  pleased 
thee  to  deliver  this  our  brother  out  of  the  miseries  of  this 
sinful  world." — Church  of  England  Burial  Service. 

"  I  have  some  of  the  best  news  to  impart.  One  beloved 
by  you  has  accomplished  her  warfare ;  has  received  an  an- 
swer to  her  prayers,  and  everlasting  joy  rests  upon  her 
head.  My  dear  wife,  the  source  of  my  best  earthly  comfort 
for  twenty  years,  departed  on  Tuesday." — Venns  Letter  to 
Stilling  fleet,  announcing  the  death  of  his  wife. 


CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.        289 

last  breath  is  drawn.  The  very  day  we  go  we 
launch  for  ever.  The  day  we  go  from  this 
world,  we  begin  an  eternal  condition.  From 
that  day  there  is  no  spiritual  alteration, — no 
spiritual  change.  As  we  die,  so  we  shall  receive 
after  death.     As  the  tree  falls,  so  it  must  lie. 

Reader,  if  you  are  an  unconverted  man,  this 
ought  to  make  you  think.  Do  you  know  you 
are  close  to  hell  ?  This  very  day  you  might 
die,  and  if  you  died  out  of  Christ,  you  would 
open  your  eyes  in  hell,  and  in  torment. 

Reader,  if  you  are  a  true  Christian,  you  are 
far  nearer  heaven  than  you  think.  This  very 
day,  if  the  Lord  should  take  you,  you  would 
find  yourself  in  paradise.  The  good  land  of 
promise  is  near  to  you.  The  eyes  that  you 
closed  in  weakness  and  pain,  would  open  at 
once  on  a  glorious  rest,  such  as  my  tongue 
cannot  describe. 

And  now  let  me  say  a  few  words  in  conclu- 
sion, and  I  have  done. 

This  tract  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  some 
humble-hearted  and  contrite  sinner. — Are  you 
that  man  ?    Then  here  is  encouragement  for 

19 


290         CHRIST   AND   THE   TWO   TPIIEVES. 

you.  See  what  the  penitent  thief  did,  and  do 
Hkewise.  See  how  he  prayed, — see  how  lie 
called  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, — see  what  an 
answer  of  peace  he  obtained.  Brother  or  sister, 
why  should  not  you  do  the  same  ?  Why  should 
not  you  also  be  saved  ? 

This  tract  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  some 
proud  and  presumptuous  man  of  the  world. — 
Are  you  that  man  ?  Then  take  warning.  See 
how  the  impenitent  thief  died  as  he  had  lived, 
and  beware  lest  you  come  to  a  like  end.  Oh ! 
erring  brother  or  sister,  be  not  too  confident, 
lest  you  die  in  your  sins.  Seek  the  Lord  while 
He  may  be  found.  Turn  you,  turn,  why  will 
you  die  ? 

This  tract  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  some 
professing  believer  in  Christ. — Are  you  such 
an  one  ?  Then  take  the  penitent  thief's  religion 
as  a  measure  by  which  to  prove  your  own. 
See  that  you  know  something  of  true  repent- 
ance and  saving  faith,  of  real  humility  and  fer- 
vent charity.  Brother  or  sister,  do  not  be  sat- 
isfied with  the  world's  standard  of  Christianity. 


CHRIST  AND   THE   TWO   THIEVES.         291 

Be  of  one  mind  with  the  penitent  thief,  and  you 
will  be  wise. 

This  tract  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  some 
one  who  is  mourning  over  departed  believers. 
Are  you  such  an  one  ?  Then  take  comfort  from 
this  Scripture.  See  how  your  beloved  ones 
are  in  the  best  of  hands.  They  cannot  be 
better  off.  They  never  were  so  well  in  their 
lives  as  they  are  now.  They  are  with  Jesus, 
whom  their  souls  loved  on  earth.  Oh !  cease 
from  your  selfish  mourning.  Rejoice  rather 
that  they  are  freed  from  trouble,  and  have  en- 
tered into  rest. 

And  this  tract  may  fall  into  the  hands  of 
some  aged  servant  of  Christ. — Are  you  such 
an  one  ?  Then  see  from  these  verses  how  near 
you  are  at  home.  A  few  more  days  of  labor 
and  sorrow,  and  the  King  of  kings  shall  send 
for  you ;  and  in  a  moment  your  warfare  shall 
be  at  end,  and  all  shall  be  peace. 


/dtl/s  €\)m. 


"  BY  FAITH  MOSKS,  WHEN  HE  WAS  COME  TO  YEARS,  REFUSED 
TO   BE    CALLED   THE    SON    OF    PHARAOH's    DAUGHTER  ; 

"  CHOOSING  RATHER  TO  SUFFER  AFFLICTION  WITH  THE  PEO- 
PLE OF  GOD,  THAN  TO  ENJOY  THE  PLEASURES  OF  SIN  FOR  A 
SEASON ; 

"esteeming  THE  REPROACH  OF  CHRIST  GREATER  RICHES 
THAN  THE  TREASURES  IN  EGYPT:  FOR  HE  HAD  RESPECT  UNTO 
THE   RECOMPENSE   OF   THE   REWARD." 

Heb.  xi.  24-26. 

The  eleventh  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  is  a  great  chapter,  I  need  not  tell 
you.  I  can  well  believe  it  must  have  been 
most  cheering  and  encouraging  to  a  converted 
Jew.  I  suppose  none  found  so  much  difficulty 
in  a  profession  of  Christianity  as  the  Hebrews 
did.  The  way  was  narrow  to  all,  but  pre- 
eminently so  to  them.  The  cross  was  heavy 
to  all,  but  surely  they  had  to  carry  double 
weight.  And  this  chapter  would  refresh  them 
like  a  cordial, — it  would  be  as  "  wine  to  those 


faith's  choice.  293 

of  a  heavy  heart."  Its  words  would  be  pleasant 
as  the  honey-comb,  "  sweet  to  the  soul  and 
health  to  the  bones." 

The  three  verses  I  am  going  to  explain  are 
far  from  being  the  least  interesting  in  the  chap- 
ter. Indeed  I  think  few,  if  any,  have  so  strong 
a  claim  on  our  attention.  And  I  will  tell  you 
why  I  say  so. 

It  seems  to  me  that  the  work  of  faith  here 
spoken  of,  comes  home  more  especially  to  our 
own  case.  The  men  of  God  who  are  named 
in  the  former  part  of  the  chapter  are  all  ex- 
amples to  us,  beyond  question.  But  we  can- 
not literally  do  what  most  of  them  did,  how- 
ever much  we  may  drink  into  their  spirit.  We 
are  not  called  upon  to  offer  a  literal  sacrifice 
like  Abel, — or  build  a  literal  ark  like  Noah, — 
or  leave  our  country  literally,  and  dwell  in 
tents,  and  offer  up  our  Isaac  like  Abraham. 
But  the  faith  of  Moses  comes  nearer  to  us.  It 
seems  to  operate  in  a  way  more  familiar  to  our 
own  experience.  It  made  him  take  up  a  line 
of  conduct  such  as  we  must  often  take  up  our- 
selves in  the  present  day,  each  in  our  own 


294  faith's  choice. 

walk  of  life.  And  for  this  reason  I  think  these 
three  verses  deserve  more  than  ordinary  con- 
sideration. 

Now  I  have  nothing  but  the  simplest  things 
to  say  about  them.  I  shall  only  try  to  enforce 
upon  you  the  greatness  of  the  things  that 
Moses  did,  and  the  principle  on  which  he  did 
them.  And  then  perhaps  you  will  be  better 
prepared  for  the  practical  instructions  which 
the  verses  appear  to  hold  out  to  every  one  who 
will  receive  it. 

May  the  Holy  Ghost  bless  the  subject  to  us 
all !  May  He  give  us  the  same  spirit  of  faith, 
that  we  may  walk  in  the  steps  of  Moses,  do  as 
he  did,  and  share  his  reward ! 

I.  First  then  I  will  speak  of  what  Moses 
gave  up  and  refused. 

Moses  gave  up  three  things  for  the  sake  of 
his  soul.  He  felt  that  his  soul  would  not  be 
saved  if  he  kept  them, — so  he  gave  them  up. 
And  in  so  doing  I  say  that  he  made  three  of  the 
greatest  sacrifices  that  man's  heart  can  make. 

1.  He  gave  up  rank  and  greatness. 

"  He  refused  to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's 


faith's  choice.  295 


daughter."  You  all  know  his  history.  The 
daughter  of  Pharaoh  had  preserved  his  life, 
when  he  was  an  infant, — adopted  him  and  edu- 
cated him  as  her  own  son. 

If  writers  of  history  may  be  trusted,  she 
was  Pharaoh's  only  child.  Men  go  so  far  as 
to  say  that  in  the  common  order  of  things 
Moses  would  one  day  have  been  king  of  Egypt. 
That  may  be,  or  may  not — we  cannot  tell.  It 
is  enough  for  us  to  know  that,  from  his  con- 
nection with  Pharaoh's  daughter,  Moses  might 
have  been,  if  he  had  pleased,  a  very  great  man. 
If  he  had  been  content  with  the  position  in 
which  he  found  himself  at  the  Egyptian  court, 
he  might  easily  have  been  among  the  first, — if 
not  the  very  first, — in  all  the  land  of  Egypt. 

Think,  Reader,  for  a  moment,  how  great  this 
temptation  was. 

Here  was  a  man  of  like  passions  with  our- 
selves. He  might  have  had  as  much  greatness 
as  earth  can  well  give.  Rank,  power,  place, 
honor,  titles,  dignities, — all  were  before  him, 
and  within  his  grasp.  These  are  the  things  for 
which  many  men  are  continually  struggling. 


296  faith's  choice. 

These  are  the  prizes  which  there  is  such  an 
incessant  race  in  the  worl3  around  us  to  obtain. 
To  be  somebody, — to  be  looked  up  to, — to 
raise  themselves  in  the  scale  of  society, — to  get 
a  handle  to  their  names  ; — these  are  the  things 
for  which  many  sacrifice  time,  and  thought, 
and  health,  and  life  itself.  But  Moses  would  not 
have  them  at  a  gift.  He  turned  his  back  upon 
them.    He  refused  them.     He  gave  them  up. 

2.  And  more  than  this,  he  refused  pleasure. 

Pleasure  of  every  kind,  no  doubt,  was  at  his 
feet,  if  he  had  liked  to  take  it  up, — sensual 
pleasure,  intellectual  pleasure, — social  pleasure, 
— whatever  could  strike  his  fancy.  Egypt  was 
a  land  of  artists, — a  residence  of  learned  men, 
— a  resort  of  every  one  who  had  skill,  or 
science  of  any  description.  There  was  nothing 
which  could  feed  the  lust  of  the  flesh,  the  lust 
of  the  eye,  or  the  pride  of  life,  which  one  in 
the  place  of  Moses  might  not  easily  have  com- 
manded. 

Think  again.  Reader,  how  great  was  this 
temptation  also. 

This,  be  it  remembered,  is  the  one  thing  for 


faith's  choice.  297 

which  millions  live.  They  differ  perhaps  in 
their  views  of  what  makes  up  real  pleasure, — 
but  all  agree  in  seeking  first  and  foremost  to 
obtain  it.  Pleasure  and  enjoyment  in  the  holi- 
days is  the  grand  object  to  which  a  school-boy 
looks  forward.  Pleasure  and  satisfaction  in 
making  himself  independent,  is  the  mark  on 
which  the  young  man  in  business  fixes  his  eye. 
Pleasure  and  ease  in  retiring  from  business 
with  a  fortune,  is  the  aim  which  the  merchant 
sets  before  him.  Pleasure  and  bodily  comfort 
at  his  own  house  is  the  sum  of  the  poor  man's 
wishes.  Pleasure  and  fresh  excitement  in 
politics,  in  travelling,  in  amusements,  in  com- 
pany, in  books, — this  is  the  goal  towards  which 
the  rich  man  is  straining.  Pleasure  is  the 
shadow  that  all  alike  are  hunting, — high  and 
low, — rich  and  poor, — old  and  young,  one  with 
another;  each  perhaps  pretending  to  despise 
his  neighbor  for  seeking  it, — each  in  his  own 
way  seeking  it  for  himself,  —  each  secretly 
wondering  that  he  does  not  find  it, — each  firmly 
persuaded  that  somewhere  or  other  it  is  to  be 
found.     This  was  the  cup  that  Moses  had  be- 


298  faith's  choice. 

fore  his  lips.  He  might  have  drank  as  deeply 
as  he  liked  of  earthly  pleasure.  But  he  would 
not  have  it.  He  turned  his  back  upon  it.  He 
refused  it.     He  gave  it  up. 

3.  And  more  than  this,  he  refused  riches. 

"  The  Treasures  in  Egypt"  is  an  expression 
that  seems  to  tell  of  wealth  that  he  might  have 
enjoyed,  had  he  been  content  to  remain  with 
Pharaoh's  daughter.  We  may  well  suppose 
these  treasures  would  have  been  a  mighty  for- 
tune. Enough  is  still  remaining  in  Egypt  to 
give  us  some  faint  idea  of  the  money  at  its' 
king's  disposal.  The  pyramids,  and  obelisks, 
and  statues,  are  still  standing  there  as  witnesses. 
The  ruins  at  Carnac,  and  Luxor,  and  Dende- 
rah,  and  many  other  places,  are  still  the  mighti- 
est buildings  in  the  world.  They  testify  to  this 
day  that  the  man  who  gave  up  Egyptian  wealth, 
gave  up  something  which  even  our  English 
minds  would  find  it  hard  to  reckon  up. 

Think  once  more,  how  great  was  this  temp- 
tation. 

Consider,  Reader,  the  power  of  money, — the 
immense  influence  that  the  love  of  money  ob- 


faith's  choice.  299 


tains  over  men's  minds.    Look  around  you  and 
see  how  men  covet  it,  and  what  amazing  pains 
and  trouble  they  will  go  through  to  obtain  it. 
Tell  them  of  an  island  many  thousand  miles 
away,  where  something  may  be  found  which 
may  be  profitable  if  imported,  and  at  once  a 
fleet  of  ships  will  be  sent  to  get  it.    Show  them 
a  way  to  make   one  per  cent,  more  of  their 
money,  and  they  will  reckon  you  among  the 
wisest  of  men, — they  will  almost  fall  down  and 
worship  you.     To  possess  money  seems  to  hide 
defects, — to  cover  over  faults, — to  clothe  a  man 
with  virtues.     People  can  get  over  much,  if 
you  are  rich.     But  here  is  a  man  who  might 
have  been  rich,  and  would  not.    He  would  not 
have  Egyptian  treasures.     He  turned  his  back 
upon    them.      He   refused    them.      He    gave 
them  up. 

Such  were  the  things  that  Moses  refused, — 
rank,  pleasure,  riches,  all  three  at  once. 

Add  to  all  this  that  he  did  it  deliheratehj.  He 
did  not  refuse  these  things  in  a  hasty  fit  of 
youthful  excitement. — He  was  forty  years  old. 
He  was  in  the  prime  of  life.     He  knew  what 


300  faith's  choice. 

he  was  about.  He  weighed  both  sides  of  the 
question. 

Add  to  it  that  he  did  not  refuse  them  because 
he  was  obliged.  He  was  not  Hke  the  dying 
man,  who  tells  us,  '•  He  craves  nothing  more 
in  this  world  ;"  and  why  ? — Because  he  is  leav- 
ing the  world,  and  cannot  keep  it.  He  was 
not  like  the  pauper,  who  makes  a  merit  of  ne- 
cessity, and  says,  "  He  does  not  want  riches ;" 
and  why  ? — Because  he  cannot  get  them.  He 
was  not  like  the  old  man,  who  boasts  "  that  he 
has  laid  aside  worldly  pleasures;"  and  why? — 
Because  he  is  worn  out,  and  cannot  enjoy  them. 
No !  Reader.  Moses  refused  what  he  might 
have  kept,  and  gave  up  what  he  might  have 
enjoyed.  Rank,  pleasure,  and  riches  did  not 
leave  him,  but  he  left  them. 

And  then  judge  whether  I  am  not  right  in 
saying  that  his  was  one  of  the  greatest  sacrifices 
mortal  man  ever  made.  Others  have  refused 
much,  but  none,  I  think,  so  much  as  Moses, 
Others  have  done  well  in  the  way  of  self-sacri- 
fice and  self-denial,  but  he  excels  them  all. 

II.     And  novv  let  me  go  on  to  the  second 


faith's  choice.  801 

thing  I  wish  to  set  before  you.  I  will  speak  of 
lohat  Moses  chose. 

I  think  his  choice  as  wonderful  as  his  refusal. 
He  chose  three  things  for  his  soul's  sake.  The 
road  to  salvation  led  through  them,  and  he  fol- 
lowed it;  and  in  so  doing  he  chose  three  of  the 
last  things  that  man  is  ever  disposed  to  take  up. 

1.  For  one  thing  he  chose  suffering  and 
affliction. 

He  left  the  ease  and  comfort  of  Pharaoh's 
court,  and  openly  took  part  with  the  children 
of  Israel.  They  were  an  enslaved  and  perse- 
cuted people, — an  object  of  distrust,  suspicion, 
and  hatred  ;  and  the  man  who  befriended  them 
was  sure  to  taste  something  of  the  bitter  cup 
they  were  daily  drinking. 

To  man's  eye  there  seemed  no  chance  of 
their  deliverance  from  bondage,  without  a  long 
and  doubtful  struggle.  A  settled  home  and 
country  for  them  must  have  appeared  a  thing 
never  likely  to  be  obtained,  however  much 
desired.  In  fact,  if  ever  man  seemed  to  be 
choosing   pain,  trials,  poverty,  want,  distress, 


802  faith's  choice. 


anxiety,  perhaps  even  death,  with  his  eyes  open, 
Moses  was  that  man. 

Think  only,  Reader,  how  wonderful  was  this 
choice. 

Man  naturally  shrinks  from  pain.  It  is  in 
us  all  to  do  so.  We  draw  back  by  a  kind  of 
instinct  from  suffering,  and  avoid  it  if  we  can. 
If  two  courses  of  action  are  set  before  us,  which 
both  seem  right,  we  always  take  that  which  is 
the  least  disagreeable  to  flesh  and  blood.  We 
spend  our  days  in  fear  and  anxiety,  when  we 
think  affliction  is  coming  near  us,  and  use  every 
means  to  escape  it.  And  when  it  does  come, 
we  often  fret  and  murmur  under  the  burden  of 
it ;  and  if  we  can  but  bear  it  patiently  we  count 
it  a  great  matter  indeed. 

But  look  here.  Here  is  a  man  of  like  pas- 
sions with  yourself,  and  he  actually  chooses 
affliction  ! 

Moses  saw  the  cup  of  suffering  that  was  be- 
fore him  if  he  left  Pharaoh's  court,  and  he  chose 
it,  preferred  it,  and  took  it  up. 

2.  But  he  did  more  than  this,  he  chose  the 
company  of  a  despised  people. 


faith's  choice.  303 

He  left  the  society  of  the  great  and  wise, 
among  whom  he  had  been  brought  up,  and 
joined  himself  to  the  children  of  Israel.  He 
who  had  lived  from  infancy  in  the  midst  of 
rank,  and  riches,  and  luxury,  came  down  from 
his  high  estate,  and  cast  in  his  lot  with  poor 
men, — slaves,  bondservants,  oppressed,  desti- 
tute, afflicted,  tormented, — laborers  in  the 
brick-kiln. 

How  wonderful,  once  more,  was  this  choice ! 

Generally  speaking  we  think  it  enough  to 
carry  our  own  troubles.  We  may  be  sorry 
for  others  whose  lot  is  to  be  mean  and  de- 
spised,— we  may  even  try  to  help  them, — we 
may  give  money  to  raise  them, — we  may  speak 
for  them  to  those  on  whom  they  depend  ;  but 
here  we  generally  stop. 

But  here  is  a  man  who  does  far  more.  He 
not  merely  feels  for  despised  Israel,  but  actually 
goes  down  to  them,  adds  himself  to  their  society, 
and  lives  with  them  altogether.  You  would 
wonder  if  some  great  man  in  Grosvenor  or 
Belgrave  Square  were  to  give  up  house,  and 
fortune,  and  position  in  society,  and  go  to  live 


304  faith's  choice. 

on  a  small  allowance  in  some  narrow  lane  in 
Bethnal  Green,  for  the  sake  of  doing  good  : — 
yet  this  would  convey  a  very  faint  and  feeble 
notion  of  the  kind  of  thing  that  Moses  did.  He 
saw  a  despised  people,  and  he  chose  their  com- 
pany in  preference  to  that  of  the  noblest  in  the 
land.  He  became  one  with  them, — their  fellow, 
their  associate,  and  their  friend. 

3.  But  he  did  even  more.  He  chose  reproach 
and  scorn. 

Who  can  conceive  the  torrent  of  mockery 
and  ridicule  that  Moses  would  have  to  stem, 
in  turning  away  from  Pharaoh's  court  to  join 
Israel  ? 

Men  would  tell  him  he  was  mad,  foolish 
weak,  sill}^  out  of  his  mind  ;  he  would  lose  his 
influence  ;  he  would  forfeit  the  favor  and  good 
opinion  of  all  among  whom  he  had  lived. 

Think  again,  Reader,  what  a  choice  this 
was! 

There  are  few  things  more  powerful  than 
ridicule  and  scorn.  It  can  do  far  more  than 
open  enmity  and  persecution.  Many  a  man 
who  would  march  up  to  a  cannon's  mouth,  or 


faith's  choice.  305 

lead  a  forlorn  hope,  or  storm  a  breach,  has 
found  it  impossible  to  face  the  mockery  of  a 
few  companions,  and  has  flinched  from  the 
path  of  duty  to  avoid  it.  To  be  laughed  at! 
To  be  made  a  joke  of!  To  be  jested  and 
sneered  at !  To  be  reckoned  weak  and  silly  ! 
To  be  thought  a  fool ! — There  is  nothing  grand 
in  all  this,  and  many  cannot  make  up  their 
minds  to  undergo  it. 

Yet  there  is  a  man  who  made  up  his  mind 
to  it,  and  did  not  shrink  from  the  trial.  Moses 
saw  reproach  and  scorn  before  him,  and  he 
chose  them,  and  accepted  them  for  his  portion. 

Such  then  were  the  things  that  Moses  chose, 
— affliction. — the  company  of  a  despised  people, 
— and  scorn. 

Set  down  beside  all  this,  that  Moses  was  no 
weak,  ignorant,  illiterate  person,  who  did  not 
know  what  he  was  about.  You  are  specially 
told  he  was  a  "  learned"  man, — he  was  one 
"  mighty  in  words  and  in  deeds,"  and  yet  he 
chose  as  he  did. 

Set  down  too  the  circumstances  of  His 
choice.     He  was  not  obliged  to  choose  as  he 

20 


806  faith's  choice. 

did.  None  compelled  him  to  take  such  a  course. 
The  things  he  took  up  did  not  force  themselves 
upon  him  against  his  will.  He  went  after  them, 
— they  did  not  come  after  him.  All  that  he 
did,  he  did  of  his  own  free  choice, — voluntarily, 
and  of  his  own  accord. 

And  then  judge  whether  it  is  not  true,  that 
his  choice  was  as  wonderful  as  his  refusal. 
Since  the  world  began,  I  suppose,  none  ever 
made  such  a  choice  as  the  man  Moses  did  in 
our  text. 

III.  And  now  let  me  go  on  to  a  third  thing: 
— let  me  speak  of  the  principle  which  moved 
Moses,  and  made  him  do  as  he  did. 

How  can  this  conduct  of  his  be  accounted 
for  ?  What  possible  reason  can  be  given  for 
it  ?  To  refuse  that  which  is  generally  called 
a  good, — to  choose  that  which  is  commonly 
thought  an  evil, — this  is  not  the  way  of  flesh 
and  blood, — this  is  not  the  manner  of  man, 
— this  requires  some  explanation.  What  will 
that  explanation  be  ? 

You  hear  the  answer  in  the  text.  I  know  not 
whether  its  greatness  or  its  simplicity  is  more 


faith's  choice.  807 


to  be  admired.    It  all  lies  in  one  little  word,  and 
that  word  is,  "faith." 

Moses  had  faith.  Faith  was  the  mainspring 
of  his  wonderful  conduct.  Faith  made  him  do 
as  he  did,  choose  what  he  chose,  and  refuse 
what  he  refused.  He  did  it  all  because  he  be- 
lieved. 

God  set  before  the  eyes  of  his  mind  His  own 
will  and  purpose.  God  revealed  to  him  that  a 
Saviour  was  to  be  born  of  the  stock  of  Israel, 
— that  mighty  promises  were  bound  up  in  these 
children  of  Abraham,  and  yet  to  be  fulfilled, — 
that  the  time  for  fulfilling  a  portion  of  these 
promises  was  at  hand, — and  Moses  put  credit 
in  this,  and  believed.  And  every  step  in  his 
wonderful  career, — every  action  in  his  journey 
through  life,  after  leaving  Pharaoh's  court, — his 
choice  of  seeming  evil,  his  refusal  of  seeming 
good, — all  must  be  traced  up  to  this  fountain, 
all  will  be  found  to  rest  on  this  foundation, — 
God  had  spoken  to  him,  and  he  had  faith  in 
God's  word. 

He  believed  that  God  would  keep  His  prom- 
ises; that  what  He  had  said  He  would  surely 


308  faith's  choice. 


do  ;  and  what  He  had  covenanted  He  would 
surely  perform. 

He  believed  that  with  God  nothing  was  im- 
possible. Reason  and  sense  might  say  that 
the  deliverance  of  Israel  was  out  of  the  ques- 
tion,— the  obstacles  were  too  many,  the  diffi- 
culties too  great.  But  faith  told  Moses  that 
God  was  all-sufficient.  God  had  undertaken 
the  work,  and  it  would  be  done. 

He  believed  that  God  was  all  wise.  Reason 
and  sense  might  tell  him  that  his  line  of  action 
was  absurd  ; — he  was  throwing  away  useful 
influence  and  destroying  all  chance  of  benefit- 
ing his  people,  by  breaking  with  Pharaoh's 
daughter.  But  faith  told  Moses  that  if  God 
said,  "Go  this  way,"  it  must  be  the  best. 

He  believed  that  God  was  all  merciful. 
Reason  and  sense  might  hint  that  a  more 
pleasant  manner  of  deliverance  might  be  found  ; 
that  some  compromise  might  be  effected,  and 
many  hardships  be  avoided.  But  faith  told 
Moses  that  God  was  love,  and  would  not  give 
His  people  one  drop  of  bitterness  beyond  what 
was  absolutely  needed. 


faith's  choice.  809 

Faith  was  a  telescope  to  Moses.  It  made 
hiai  see  the  godly  land  afar  off, — rest,  peace, 
victory, — when  dim-sighted  reason  could  only 
see  trial  and  barrenness,  storm  and  tempest, 
weariness  and  pain. 

Faith  was  an  interpreter  to  Moses.  It  made 
him  pick  out  a  comfortable  meaning  in  the 
dark  commands  of  God's  handwriting,  while 
ignorant  sense  could  see  nothing  in  it  all  but 
mystery  and  foolishness. 

Faith  told  Moses  that  all  this  rank  and  great- 
ness was  of  the  earth,  earthy ;  a  poor,  vain, 
empty  thing,  frail,  fleeting,  and  passing  away ; 
and  that  there  was  no  true  greatness  like  that 
of  serving  God.  He  was  the  king,  he  the  true 
nobleman  who  belonged  to  the  family  of  God. 
It  was  better  to  be  last  in  heaven,  than  first  in  hell. 

Faith  told  Moses  that  worldly  pleasures  were 
pleasures  of  sin.  They  were  mingled  with  sin, 
— they  led  on  to  sin, — they  were  ruinous  to  the 
soul,  and  displeasing  to  God.  It  would  be 
small  comfort  to  have  pleasure  while  God  was 
against  him.  Better  suffer  and  obey  God,  than 
be  at  ease  and  sin. 


310  faith's  choice. 

Faith  told  Moses  that  these  pleasures  after 
all  were  only  for  a  season  : — they  could  not  last, 
— they  were  all  short-lived, — they  would  weary 
him  soon, — he  must  leave  them  all  in  a  few 
years. 

Faith  told  him  there  was  a  reward  in  heaven 
for  the  believer,  far  richer  than  the  treasures 
in  Egypt ; — durable  riches,  where  rust  could 
not  corrupt,  nor  thieves  break  through  and 
steal.  The  crown  there  would  be  incorrup- 
tible;— the  weight  of  glory  v^'ould  be  exceeding 
and  eternal ; — and  faith  bade  him  look  away  to 
that  if  his  eyes  were  dazzled  with  Egyptian  gold. 

Faith  told  Moses  that  affliction  and  suffering 
were  not  real  evils : — they  were  the  school  of 
God,  in  which  he  trains  the  children  of  grace 
for  glory ; — the  medicines  which  are  needful  to 
purify  our  corrupt  wills ; — the  furnace  which 
must  burn  away  our  dross ; — the  knife  which 
must  cut  loose  the  ties  that  bind  us  to  the 
world. 

Faith  told  Moses  that  this  despised  people 
were  the  people  of  God;  that  to  them  belonged 
the  adoption,  and  covenant,  and  the  promises, 


faith's  choice.  ,  811 

and  the  glory ;  that  of  them  the  seed  of  the 
woman  was  one  day  to  be  born,  who  should 
bruise  the  serpent's  head  ;  that  the  special 
blessing  of  God  was  upon  them  ;  that  they  were 
lovely  and  beautiful  in  His  eyes ; — and  that  it 
was  better  to  be  a  door-keeper  among  the  peo- 
ple of  God,  than  to  reign  in  the  palaces  of  wick- 
edness. 

Faith  told  Moses  that  all  the  reproach  and 
scorn  poured  out  on  him  was  the  reproach  of 
Christ ; — that  it  was  honorable  to  be  mocked 
and  despised  for  Christ's  sake ; — that  whoso 
persecuted  Christ's  people  was  persecuting 
Christ  Himself; — and  that  the  day  must  come 
when  His  enemies  would  bow  before  Him  and 
lick  the  dust. 

All  this,  and  much  more,  of  which  I  cannot 
speak  particularly,  Moses  saw  by  faith.  These 
were  the  things  he  believed,  and  believing  did 
what  he  did.  He  was  persuaded  of  them,  and 
embraced  them, — he  reckoned  them  as  cer- 
tainties,— he  regarded  them  as  substantial  veri- 
ties,— he  counted  them  as  sure  as  if  he  had 
seen  them  with  his  eyes, — he  acted  on  them  as 


812  faith's  choice. 

realities, — and  this  made  him  the  man  that  he 
was. 

Marvel  not  that  he  refused  greatness,  riches, 
and  pleasure. — He  looked  far  forward.  He  saw 
with  the  eye  of  faith  kingdoms  crumbling  into 
dust, — riches  making  to  themselves  wings  and 
fleeing  away, — pleasures  leading  on  to  death 
and  judgment, — and  Christ  only  and  His  little 
flock  enduring  forever. 

Wonder  not  that  he  chose  affliction,  a  de- 
spised people,  and  reproach. — He  beheld  things 
below  the  surface.  He  saw  with  the  eye  of 
faith  affliction  lasting  but  for  a  moment, — re- 
proach rolled  away,  and  ending  in  everlasting 
honor, — and  the  despised  people  of  God  reign- 
ing as  kings  with  Christ  in  glory. 

And,  Reader,  was  he  not  right  ?  Does  he  not 
speak  to  us,  though  dead,  this  very  day  ?  The 
name  of  Pharaoh's  daughter  has  perished  ; — 
the  city  where  Pharaoh  reigned  is  not  known  ; 
— the  treasures  in  Egypt  are  gone  : — but  the 
name  of  Moses  is  known  wherever  the  Bible  is 
read,  and  is  still  a  standing  witness  that  whoso 
liveth  by  faith,  happy  is  he. 


faith's  choice.  813 


IV.  And  now  let  me  wind  up  all  by  trying 
to  set  before  you  some  practical  lessons,  which 
appear  to  me  to  follow  from  this  text. 

What  has  all  this  to  do  with  us  ?  some  men 
will  say.  We  do  not  live  in  Egypt, — we  have 
seen  no  miracles, — we  are  not  Israelites, — we 
are  weary  of  the  subject. 

Stay  a  little.  Reader,  if  this  be  the  thought 
of  your  heart,  and  by  God's  help  I  will  show 
you  that  all  may  learn  here,  and  all  may  be 
instructed. 

1.  For  one  thing,  if  ever  you  would  he  saved, 
you  must  make  the  choice  that  Moses  made, — 
you  must  prefer  God  before  the  world. 

Reader,  mark  well  what  I  say.  Do  not  over- 
look this,  though  all  the  rest  be  forgotten.  I 
do  not  say  that  the  statesman  must  throw  up 
his  office,  and  the  rich  man  forsake  his  property. 
Let  no  one  fancy  that  I  mean  this.  But  I  say, 
if  a  man  would  be  saved,  whatever  be  his  rank 
in  life,  he  must  be  prepared  for  tribulation ;  he 
must  make  up  his  mind  to  choose  that  which 
seems  evil,  and  to  give  up  and  refuse  that  which 
seems  good. 


814  faith's  choice. 

I  dare  be  sure  this  sounds  strange  language 
to  some  who  read  these  pages.  I  know  well 
you  may  have  a  certain  form  of  religion,  and 
find  no  trouble  in  your  way.  There  is  a  com- 
mon worldly  kind  of  Christianity  in  this  day, 
which  many  have,  and  think  they  have  enough, 
— a  cheap  Christianity  which  offends  nobody, 
and  requires  no  sacrifice, — which  costs  noth- 
ing, and  is  worth  nothing.  I  am  not  speaking 
of  religion  of  this  kind. 

But  if  you  really  are  in  earnest  about  your 
soul, — if  your  religion  is  something  more  than 
a  mere  fashionable  cloak, — if  you  are  deter- 
mined to  live  by  the  Bible, — if  you  are  resolved 
to  be  a  New  Testament  Christian,  then,  I  re- 
peat, you  will  soon  find  you  must  carry  a  cross, 
— you  must  endure  hard  things, — you  must 
suffer  because  of  your  soul,  as  Moses  did,  or 
you  cannot  be  saved. 

The  world  in  the  nineteenth  century  is  what 
it  always  was.  The  hearts  of  men  are  still  the 
same.  The  offence  of  the  cross  is  not  ceased. 
God's  true  people  are  still  a  despised  little  flock. 
True  evangelical  religion  still  brings  with  it 


faith's  choice.  815 

reproach  and  scorn.  A  real  servant  of  God 
will  still  be  thought  by  many  a  weak  enthusiast 
and  a  fool. 

Reader,  do  you  wish  your  souls  to  be  saved  ? 
Then  remember,  you  must  choose  whom  you 
will  serve.  You  cannot  serve  God  and  mam- 
mon. You  cannot  be  on  two  sides  at  once. 
You  cannot  be  a  friend  of  Christ,  and  a  friend 
of  the  world  at  the  same  time.  You  must  come 
out  from  the  children  of  this  world,  and  be  sepa- 
rate ;  you  must  put  up  with  much  ridicule, 
trouble,  and  opposition,  or  you  are  lost  forever. 
You  must  be  willing  to  think  and  do  things 
which  the  world  considers  foolish,  and  to  hold 
opinions  which  are  only  held  by  a  few.  It  will 
cost  you  something.  The  stream  is  strong,  and 
you  have  to  stem  it.  The  way  is  narrow  and 
steep,  and  it  is  no  use  saying  it  is  not.  But 
depend  on  it,  there  can  be  no  saving  religion 
without  sacrifices  and  self-denial. 

Now,  Reader,  are  you  doing  anything  of  this 
kind  ?  I  put  it  to  your  conscience  in  ail  affec- 
tion and  tenderness,  are  you,  like  Moses,  pre- 
ferring God  to  the  world,  or  not  ?    I  beseech 


816  faith's  choice. 

you  not  to  take  shelter  under  that  dangerous 
word  "  we," — "  we  ought," — and  "  we  hope,'^ 
— and  "  we  mean," — and  the  like.  I  ask  you 
plainly,  what  are  you  doing  yourself?  Are  you 
willing  to  give  up  anything  which  keeps  you 
back  from  God?  or  are  you  clinging  to  the 
Egypt  of  the  world,  and  saying  to  yourself,  "  I 
must  have  it,  I  must  have  it,  I  cannot  tear  my- 
self away  ?"  What  sacrifices  are  you  making  ? 
Are  you  making  any  at  all  ?  Is  there  any  cross 
in  your  Christianity  ?  Are  there  any  sharp 
corners  in  your  religion,  anything  that  ever 
jars  and  comes  in  collision  with  the  earthly- 
mindedness  around  you,  or  is  all  smooth  and 
rounded  off,  and  comfortably  fitted  in  to  custom 
and  fashion  ?  Do  you  know  anything  of  the 
afflictions  of  the  Gospel  ?  Is  your  faith  and 
practice  ever  a  subject  of  scorn  and  reproach  ? 
Are  you  thought  a  fool  by  any  one  because  of 
your  soul  ?  Have  you  left  Pharaoh's  daughter, 
and  heartily  joined  the  people  of  God  ?  Are  you 
venturing  all  on  Christ  ?    Search  and  see. 

Reader,  these  are  hard  and  rough  sayings. — - 
I  cannot  help  it. — I  believe  they  are  founded 


faith's  choice.  317 

on  Scripture  truths.  I  remember  it  is  written, 
"  there  were  great  multitudes  with  Jesus,  and 
he  turned  and  said  unto  them,  If  any  man  come 
unto  me  and  hate  not  his  father,  and  mother, 
and  wife,  and  children,  and  brethren,  and  sisters, 
yea  and  his  own  life  also,  he  cannot  be  my 
disciple.  And  whosoever  doth  not  bear  his 
cross,  and  come  after  me,  cannot  be  my  disci- 
ple." (Luke  xiv.  25,  27.)  Many,  I  fear,  would 
like  glory,  who  have  no  wish  for  grace, — they 
would  fain  have  the  wages,  but  not  the  work, — 
the  harvest,  but  not  the  labor, — the  reaping, 
but  not  the  sowing, — the  reward,  but  not  the 
battle.  But  it  may  not  be.  As  Bunyan  says, 
"  the  bitter  must  go  before  the  sweet."  If  there 
is  no  cross  there  will  be  no  crown. 

2.  The  second  thing  I  will  say  is  this, — 
nothing  will  ever  enable  you  to  choose  God 
before  the  world,  except  faith. 

Nothing  else  will  do  it.  Knowledge  will 
not ; — feeling  will  not ; — a  regular  use  of  out- 
ward forms  will  not ; — good  companions  will 
not.  All  these  may  do  something,  but  the  fruit 
they  produce  has  no  power  of  continuance,  it 


818  faith's  choice. 

will  not  last.  A  religion  springing  from  such 
sources  will  only  endure  so  long  as  there  is  no 
tribulation  or  persecution  because  of  the  word  ; 
but  so  soon  as  there  is  any,  it  will  dry  up.  It 
is  a  clock  without  weights, — its  face  may  be 
beautiful,  you  may  turn  its  fingers  round,  but 
it  will  not  go. 

A  religion  that  is  to  stand  must  have  a  living 
foundation,  and  there  is  none  other  but  faith. 

Reader,  have  you  got  this  faith  ?  If  you 
have,  you  will  find  it  possible  to  refuse  seeming 
good,  and  choose  seeming  evil, — you  will  think 
nothing  of  to-day's  losses,  in  the  hope  of  to-mor- 
row's gains, — you  will  follow  Christ  in  the  dark, 
and  stand  by  Him  to  the  very  last.  If  you 
have  not,  I  warn  you,  you  will  never  war  a 
good  warfare,  and  so  run  as  to  obtain, — you 
will  soon  be  offended  and  turn  back  to  the 
world. 

There  must  be  a  real  belief  that  God's  prom- 
ises are  sure  and  to  be  depended  on ; — a  real 
belief  that  what  God  says  in  the  Bible  is  all 
true,  and  that  every  doctrine  contrary  to  this 
is  false,  whoever  may  say  it.     There  must  be 


faith's  choice.  819 


a  real  belief  that  all  God's  words  are  to  be  re- 
ceived, however  hard  and  disagreeable  to  flesh 
and  blood,  and  that  his  way  is  right,  and  all 
others  wrong ;  this  there  must  be,  or  you  will 
never  come  out  from  the  world,  take  up  the 
cross,  follow  Christ,  and  be  saved. 

You  must  learn  to  believe  promises  better 
than  possession  ; — things  unseen  better  than 
things  seen ; — things  in  heaven  out  of  sight, 
better  than  things  on  earth  before  your  eyes ; — 
the  praise  of  the  invisible  God  better  than  the 
praise  of  visible  man.  Then,  and  then  only, 
you  will  make  a  choice  like  Moses,  and  prefer 
God  to  the  world. 

This  was  the  faith  by  which  the  old  saints 
obtained  a  good  report.  This  was  the  weapon 
by  which  they  overcame  the  world.  This 
made  them  what  they  were. 

This  was  the  faith  that  made  Noah  go  on 
building  his  ark,  while  the  world  looked  on  and 
mocked, — and  Abraham  gave  the  choice  of  the 
land  to  Lot,  and  dwell  on  quietly  in  tents, — 
and  Ruth  cleave  to  Naomi,  and  turn  away  from 
her  country  and  her  gods, — and  Daniel  con- 


Q 


20  faith's  choice. 


tinue  ill  prayer,  though  he  knew  the  lions'  den 
was  prepared, — and  the  three  children  refuse 
to  worship  idols,  though  the  fiery  furnace  was 
before  their  eyes.  All  these  acted  as  they  did 
because  they  believed.  Well  may  the  Apostle 
Peter  speak  of  faith  as  "  precious  faith."  (2 
Peter  i.  1.) 

3.  The  third  thing  I  shall  say  is  this,  the  true 
reason  why  so  many  are  worldly  and  ungodly 
persons  is,  that  they  have  no  faith. 

Reader,  you  must  be  aware  that  multitudes 
of  professing  Christians  would  never  think  for 
a  moment  of  doing  as  Moses  did.  It  is  useless 
to  speak  smooth  things,  and  shut  our  eyes  to 
the  fact.  That  man  must  be  blind  who  does 
not  see  thousands  around  him  who  are  daily 
preferring  the  world  to  God, — placing  the  things 
of  time  before  the  things  of  eternity, — the  things 
of  the  body  before  the  things  of  the  soul.  You 
may  not  like  to  hear  it,  but  so  it  is. 

And  why  do  they  do  so  ?  No  doubt  they  will 
all  give  us  reasons  and  excuses.  Some  will 
talk  of  the  snares  of  the  world, — some  of  the 
want  of  time, — some  of  the  peculiar  difiiculties 


faith's  choice. 


821 


of  their  position, — some  of  tlie  cares  and  anxie- 
ties of  life, — some  of  the  strength  of  temptation, 
— some  of  the  power  of  passions, — some  of  the 
effects  of  bad  companions.  But  what  does  it 
come  to  after  all  ?  There  is  a  far  shorter  way 
to  account  for  the  state  of  their  souls,  they  do 
not  believe.  One  simple  sentence,  like  Aaron's 
rod,  will  swallow  up  all  their  excuses,  they  have 
no  faith. 

They  do  not  really  think  what  God  says  is 
true.  They  secretly  flatter  themselves  with 
the  notion,  "  it  will  surely  not  be  fulfilled,  all  of 
it ; — there  must  surely  be  some  other  way  to 
heaven  besides  that  which  ministers  speak  of; 
there  cannot  surely  be  so  much  danger  of  being 
lost."  In  short  they  do  not  put  implicit  confi- 
dence in  the  words  that  God  has  written  and 
spoken,  and  so  do  not  act  upon  them.  They 
do  not  thoroughly  believe  hell,  and  so  do  not 
flee  from  it ; — nor  heaven,  and  so  do  not  seek 
it ; — nor  the  guilt  of  sin,  and  so  do  not  turn 
from  it ; — nor  the  holiness  of  God,  and  so  do 
not  fear  Him  ; — nor  their  need  of  Christ,  and 
so  do  not  trust  in  Him,  nor  love  Him.     They 

21 


S22  faith's  choice. 

do  not  feel  confidence  in  God,  and  so  venture 
nothing  for  Him.  Like  the  boy  Passion,  in 
Pilgrim's  Progress,  they  must  have  their  good 
things  now.  They  do  not  trust  God,  and  so 
they  cannot  wait. 

Reader,  how  is  it  with  yourself?  Do  you 
believe  all  the  Bible  ?  Ask  yourself  that  ques- 
tion. Depend  on  it,  it  is  a  much  greater  thing 
to  believe  all  the  Bible  than  many  suppose. 
Happy  is  the  man  who  can  say,  "  I  am  a  be- 
liever.'' 

We  talk  of  infidels  sometimes  as  if  they 
were  the  rarest  people  in  the  world.  And  I 
grant  you  that  open  avowed  infidelity  is  hap- 
pily not  common  now.  But  there  is  a  vast 
amount  of  practical  infidelity  around  us,  for  all 
that,  which  is  as  dangerous  in  the  end  as  the 
principles  of  Voltaire  and  Paine.  There  are 
many  who  Sunday  after  Sunday  repeat  their 
creed,  and  make  a  point  of  declaring  their 
belief  in  all  that  the  Apostolic  and  Nicene 
forms  contain,  and  yet  these  very  persons  will 
live  all  the  week  as  if  Christ  had  never  died  ? 
and  as  if  there  were   no  judgment,   and   no 


faith's  choice.  828 

resurrection  of  the  dead,  and  no  life  everlasting 
at  all.  There  are  many  who  will  say,  "Oh, 
we  know  it  all,"  when  spoken  to  about  eternal 
things,  and  the  value  of  their  souls ;  and  yet 
their  lives  show  plainly  the}^  know  not  any- 
thing as  they  ought  to  know  ;  and  the  sad- 
dest part  of  their  state  is,  that  they  think  they  do. 

Reader,  I  warn  you  that  knowledge  not 
acted  upon,  in  God's  sight,  is  no  knowledge  at 
all.  A  faith  that  does  not  influence  a  man's 
practice  is  not  worthy  of  the  name.  There 
are  only  two  classes  in  the  Church  of  Christ, — 
those  who  believe,  and  those  who  do  not.  The 
difference  between  the  true  Christian  and  the 
mere  outward  professor,  just  lies  in  one  word; 
— the  true  Christian  is  like  Moses,  "  he  has 
faith  ;" — the  professor  has  none.  The  true 
Christian  believes,  and  therefore  lives  as  he 
does ; — the  mere  professor  does  not  believe, 
and  therefore  is  what  he  is.  Oh!  where  is  your 
faith!     Be  not  faithless,  but  believing. 

4.  The  last  thing  I  will  say  is  this,  the  true 
secret  of  doing  great  things  for  God  is,  to  have 
great  faith. 


824  faith's  choice. 

I  suspect  that  we  are  all  apt  to  err  a  little 
on  this  point.  We  think  too  much,  and  talk 
too  much  about  graces,  and  gifts,  and  attain- 
ments, and  do  not  sufficiently  remember  that 
faith  is  the  root  and  mother  of  them  all.  In 
walking  with  God,  a  man  will  go  just  as  far  as 
he  believes,  and  no  further.  His  life  will  al- 
ways be  proportioned  to  his  faith.  His  peace, 
his  patience,  his  courage,  his  zeal,  his  works,— 
all  will  be  according  to  his  faith. 

You  read  the  lives  of  eminent  Christians 
perhaps.  Such  men  as  Romaine,  or  Newton, 
or  Marty n,  Scott,  or  Simeon,  or  M'Cheyne ; 
and  you  are  disposed  to  say,  "  What  wonderful 
gifts  and  grace  these  men  had !"  I  answer, 
you  should  rather  give  honor  to  the  mother- 
grace  which  God  puts  forward  in  the  eleventh 
chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews, — you 
should  give  honor  to  their  faith.  Depend  on  it, 
faith  was  the  mainspring  in  the  character  of 
each  and  all. 

I  can  fancy  some  one  saying,  '•'  They  were 
so  prayerful ; — that  made  them  what  they 
were."     I  answer,  why  did  they  pray  much  ? 


faith's  choice.  825 

— Simply  because  they  had  much  faith.  What 
is  prayer,  but  faith  speaking  to  God  ? 

Another  perhaps  will  say,  "  They  were  so 
diligent  and  laborious, — that  accounts  for  their 
success."  I  answer,  why  were  they  so  dili- 
gent ? — Simply  because  they  had  faith.  What 
is  Christian  diligence,  but  faith  at  work  ? 

Another  will  tell  me,  "  They  were  so  bold, — 
that  rendered  them  so  useful."  I  answer,  why 
were  they  so  bold  ? — Simply  because  they  had 
much  faith.  What  is  Christian  boldness,  but 
faith  honestly  doing  its  duty  ? 

And  another  will  cry,  "  It  was  their  holiness 
and  spirituality, — that  gave  them  their  weight." 
For  the  last  time  I  answer,  what  made  them 
holy  ? — Nothing  but  a  living,  realizing  spirit  of 
faith.  What  is  holiness,  but  faith  visible  and 
faith  incarnate  ? 

Now,  dear  Reader,  would  you  grow  in  grace, 
and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ? 
Would  you  bring  forth  inuch  fruit  ?  Would 
you  be  eminently  useful  ?  Would  you  be 
bright,  and  shine  as  a  light  in  your  day?  Would 
you,  like  Moses,  make  it  clear  as  noon-day  that 


826  faith's  choice. 

you  have  chosen  God  before  the  world  ?  I  dare 
be  sure  that  every  behever  will  reply,  "  Yes ! 
yes!  yes!  these  are  the  things  we  long  for  and 
desire." 

Then  take  the  advice  I  give  you  this  day : — 
go  and  cry  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the 
disciples  did,  "  Lord,  increase  our  faith."  Faith 
is  the  root  of  a  real  Christian's  character.  Let 
your  root  be  right,  and  your  fruit  will  soon 
abound.  Your  spiritual  prosperity  will  always 
be  according  to  your  faith.  He  that  believeth 
shall  not  only  be  saved,  but  shall  never  thirst, 
— shall  overcome, — shall  be  established, — shall 
walk  firmly  on  the  waters  of  this  world, — and 
shall  do  great  works. 


J 


l\mmtor  Int. 


HE    LINGERED. 

Gen.  xix.  16. 


Who  is  this  man  that  lingered  ? — Lot,  the 
nephew  of  faithful  Abraham.  And  when  did 
he  linger  ? — The  very  morning  when  Sodom 
was  to  be  destroyed.  And  where  did  he  linger  ? 
— Within  the  walls  of  Sodom  itself  And  be- 
fore whom  did  he  linger  ? — Under  the  eyes  of 
the  two  angels,  who  were  sent  to  bring  him  out 
of  the  city. 

Reader,  the  words  are  solemn,  and  full  of  food 
for  thought.  I  trust  they  will  make  you  think. 
Who  knows  but  they  are  the  very  words  your 
soul  requires  ?  The  voice  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
commands  you  to  "  remember  Lot's  wife." 
(Luke  xvii.  32.)  The  voice  of  one  of  His  min- 
isters invites  you  this  day  to  remember  Lot. 

Let  me  try  to  show  you, — 

L     TVhat  Lot  was  himself: 


828  EEMEMBER  LOT. 


11.   What  the  text  already  quoted  tells  you 
of  him: 

III.  What  reasons  may  account  for  his  lin- 

gering : 

IV.  What    kind   of   fruit    his    lingering 

brought  forth. 

I.     What  was  Lot? 

This  is  a  most  important  point.  If  I  leave 
it  unnoticed,  I  shall  perhaps  miss  that  class  of 
professing  Christians  I  want  especially  to  bene- 
fit. You  would  perhaps  say,  after  reading  this 
paper,  "  Ah !  Lot  was  a  poor,  dark  creature, — 
an  unconverted  man, — a  child  of  this  world  ; — 
no  wonder  he  lingered.'" 

But  mark  now  what  I  say.  Lot  was  nothing 
of  the  kind.  Lot  was  a  true  believer, — a  real 
child  of  God, — a  justified  soul, — a  righteous  man. 

Has  any  one  of  you  grace  in  his  heart  ? — So 
also  had  Lot. 

Has  any  one  of  you  a  hope  of  salvation  ? — 
80  also  had  Lot. 

Is  any  one  of  you  a  new  creature? — So  also 
was  Lot. 


KEMEMBER   LOT.  829 

Is  any  one  of  you  a  traveller  in  the  narrow 
way  which  leads  unto  life  ? — So  also  was 
Lot. 

Do  not  think  this  is  only  my  private  opinion, 
a  mere  arbitrary  fancy  of  my  own, — a  notion 
unsupported  by  Scripture.  Do  not  suppose  I 
want  you  to  believe  it,  merely  because  I  say  it. 
The  Holy  Ghost  has  placed  the  matter  beyond 
controversy,  by  calling  him  "just,"  and  "right- 
eous," (2  Peter  ii.  7,  8,)  and  has  given  us  evi- 
dence of  the  grace  that  was  in  him. 

One  evidence  is,  that  he  lived  in  a  wicked 
place,  "  seeing  and  hearing"  evil  all  around  him, 
(2  Peter  ii.  8,)  and  yet  was  not  wicked  himself 
Now  to  be  a  Daniel  in  Babylon,  an  Obadiah  in 
Ahab's  house,  an  Abijah  in  Jeroboam's  family, 
a  saint  in  Nero's  court,  and  a  righteous  man  in 
Sodom,  a  man  must  have  the  grace  of  God. 

Another  evidence  is,  that  he  "  vexed  his  soul 
with  the  unlawful  deeds"  he  beheld  around  him. 
(2  Peter  ii.  8.)  He  was  wounded,  grieved, 
pained,  and  hurt  at  the  sight  of  sin.  This  was 
feeling  like  holy  David,  who  says,  "  I  beheld 
the    transgressors,   and    was  grieved,   because 


330  Remember  lot. 

they  kept  not  thy  word."  "  Rivers  of  waters 
run  down  mine  eyes,  because  they  keep  not  thy 
law."  (Psalm  cxix.  136,  158.)  Nothing  will 
account  for  this  but  the  grace  of  God. 

Another  evidence  is,  that  he  "  vexed  his  soul 
from  day  to  day"  with  the  unlawful  deeds  he 
saw.  (2  Peter  ii.  8.)  He  did  not  at  length 
become  cool  and  lukewarm  about  sin,  as  many 
do.  Familiarity  and  habit  did  not  take  off  the 
fine  edge  of  his  feelings,  as  too  often  is  the  case. 
Many  a  man  is  shocked  and  startled  at  the  first 
sight  of  wickedness,  and  yet  becomes  at  last  so 
accustomed  to  see  it,  that  he  views  it  with  com- 
parative unconcern.  This  is  especially  the 
case  with  those  who  live  in  great  cities.  But 
it  was  not  so  with  Lot.  And  this  is  a  great 
mark  of  the  reality  of  his  grace. 

Such  an  one  was  Lot, — a  just  and  righteous 
man,  a  man  sealed  and  stamped  as  an  heir  of 
heaven  by  the  Holy  Ghost  Himself. 

Reader,  before  you  pass  on,  remember  that 
a  true  Christian  may  have  many  a  blemish, 
many  a  defect,  many  an  infirmity,  and  yet  be 
a  true   Christian   nevertheless.     You   do   not 


REMEMBER   LOT.  881 

despise  gold  because  it  is  mixed  with  much 
dross.  You  must  not  undervalue  grace  because 
it  is  accompanied  by  much  corruption.  Read 
on,  and  you  will  find  that  Lot  paid  dearly  for 
his  lingering.  But  do  not  forget,  as  you  read, 
that  Lot  was  a  child  of  God. 

IL  Let  us  pass  on  to  the  second  thing  I 
spoke  of  What  does  the  text,  already  quoted, 
tell  us  about  Lot's  behavior  ? 

The  words  are  wonderful  and  astounding, 
"  He  lingered  ;"  and  the  more  you  consider  the 
time  and  circumstances,  the  more  wonderful 
you  will  think  them. 

Lot  knew  the  awful  condition  of  the  city  in 
which  he  stood ;  "  the  cry"  of  its  abomination 
"  had  waxen  great  before  the  Lord  :"  (Gen.  xix. 
13,)  and  yet  he  lingered. 

Lot  knew  the  fearful  judgment  coming  down 
on  all  within  its  walls ;  the  angels  had  said 
plainly,  "  The  Lord  hath  sent  us  to  destroy  it :" 
(Gen.  xix.  13,)  and  yet  he  lingered. 

Lot  knew  that  God  was  a  God  who  always 
kept  His  word,  and  if  He  said  a  thing  would 
surely  do  it.     He  could  hardly  be  Abraham's 


832  REMEMBER   LOT. 

nephew,  and  live  long  with  him,  and  not  be 
aware  of  this.     Yet  he  lingered. 

Lot  believed  there  was  danger,  for  he  went 
to  his  sons-in-law,  and  warned  them  to  flee: 
''  Up,"  he  said,  "  get  you  out  of  this  place  ;  for 
the  Lord  will  destroy  this  city."  (Gen.  xix.  14.) 
And  yet  he  lingered. 

Lot  saw  the  angels  of  God  standing  by,  wait- 
ing for  him  and  his  family  to  go  forth.  And  yet 
he  lingered. 

Lot  heard  the  voice  of  those  ministers  of 
wrath  ringing  in  his  ears  to  hasten  him,  "Arise 
lest  thou  be  consumed  in  the  iniquity  of  the 
city."    (Gen.  xix.  15.)     And  yet  he  lingered. 

He  was  slow  when  he  should  have  been 
quick — backward  when  he  should  have  been  for- 
ward— trifling  when  he  should  have  been  has- 
tening— loitering  when  he  should  have  been 
hurrying — cold  when  he  should  have  been 
hot.  It  is  passing  strange!  It  seems  almost 
incredible !  It  appears  too  wonderful  to  be 
true!  But  the  Spirit  writes  it  down  for  our 
learning.     And  so  it  was. 


KEMEMBER   LOT.  833 


And  yet,  Reader,  there  are  many  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ's  people  very  like  Lot. 

Mark  well  what  I  say.  I  repeat  it,  that 
there  may  be  no  mistake  about  my  meaning. 
I  have  shown  you  that  Lot  lingered, — I  say 
that  there  are  many  Christian  men  and  Chris- 
tian women  in  this  day  very  like  Lot. 

There  are  many  real  children  of  God,  who 
appear  to  know  far  more  than  they  live  up  to, 
and  see  far  more  than  they  practise,  and  yet 
continue  in  this  state  for  many  years.  Won- 
derful that  they  go  as  far  as  they  do,  and  yet 
go  no  further ! 

They  hold  the  Head,  even  Christ,  and  love 
the  truth.  They  like  sound  preaching,  and 
assent  to  every  article  of  Gospel  doctrine,  when 
they  hear  it.  But  still  there  is  an  indescribable 
something  which  is  not  satisfactory  about 
them.  They  are  constantly  doing  things  which 
disappoint  the  expectations  of  their  ministers, 
and  of  more  advanced  Christian  friends.  Mar- 
vellous that  they  should  think  as  they  do,  and 
yet  stand  still ! 

They  believe  in  heaven,  and  yet  seem  faintly 


834  REMEMBER   LOT. 

to  long  for  it ; — and  in  hell,  and  yet  seem  little 
to  fear  it.  They  love  the  Lord  Jesus,  but  the 
work  they  do  for  Him  is  small.  They  hate  the 
devil,  but  they  often  appear  to  tempt  him 
to  come  to  them.  They  know  the  time  is 
short,  but  they  live  as  if  it  were  long.  They 
know  they  have  a  battle  to  fight,  yet  a  man 
might  think  they  were  at  peace.  They  know 
they  have  a  race  to  run,  yet  they  often  look 
like  people  sitting  still.  They  know  the  judge 
is  at  the  door,  and  there  is  wrath  to  come,  and 
yet  they  appear  half  asleep.  Astonishing  they 
should  be  what  they  are,  and  yet  be  nothing 
more! 

And  what  shall  we  say  of  these  people  ? 
They  often  puzzle  godly  friends  and  relations. 
They  often  cause  great  anxiety.  They  often 
give  rise  to  great  doubts  and  searchings  of 
heart.  But  they  may  be  classed  under  one 
sweeping  description :  they  are  all  brethren 
and  sisters  of  Lot.      They  linger. 

These  are  they  who  get  the  notion  into  their 
minds  that  it  is  impossible  for  all  believers  to 
be  very  holy  and  very  spiritual.     They  allow 


EEMEMBER   LOT.  835 

that  eminent  holiness  is  a  beautiful  thing. 
They  like  to  read  about  it  in  books,  and  even 
to  see  it  occasionally  in  others.  But  they  do  not 
think  that  all  are  meant  to  aim  at  so  high  a 
standard.  At  any  rate  they  seem  to  make  up 
their  minds  it  is  beyond  their  reach. 

These  are  they  who  get  into  their  heads 
false  ideas  of  charity,  as  they  call  it.  They 
would  fain  please  everybody,  and  suit  every- 
body, and  be  agreeable  to  everybody.  But 
they  forget  they  ought  first  to  be  sure  that  they 
please  God. 

These  are  they  who  dread  sacrifices,  and 
shrink  from  self-denial.  They  never  appear 
able  to  apply  our  Lord's  command,  "  to  cut  off 
the  right  hand  and  pluck  out  the  right  eye." 
(Matt.  V.  29,  30.)  They  spend  their  lives  in 
trying  to  make  the  gate  more  wide,  and  the 
cross  more  light.     But  they  never  succeed. 

These  are  they  who  are  always  trying  to 
keep  in  with  the  world.  They  are  ingenious 
in  discovering  reasons  for  not  separating  de- 
cidedly, and  in  framing  plausible  excuses  for 
attending  questionable  amusements,  and  keep- 


836  KEMEMBER   LOT. 

ing  up  questionable  friendships.  One  day  you 
are  told  of  their  attending  a  Bible  reading :  the 
next  day  perhaps  you  hear  of  their  going  to  a 
ball.  They  are  constantly  laboring  to  per- 
suade themselves  that  to  mix  a  little  with 
worldly  people  on  their  own  ground  does  good. 
Yet  in  their  case  it  is  very  clear  they  do  no 
good,  and  only  get  harm. 

These  are  they  who  cannot  find  it  in  their 
heart  to  quarrel  with  their  besetting  sin, 
whether  it  be  sloth,  indolence,  ill-temper,  pride, 
selfishness,  impatience,  or  what  it  may.  They 
allow  it  to  remain  a  tolerably  quiet  and  undis- 
turbed tenant  of  their  hearts.  They  say  it  is 
their  health,  and  their  constitutions,  and  their 
temperaments,  and  their  trials,  and  their  way. 
Their  father,  or  mother,  or  grandmother,  was 
so  before  themselves,  and  they  are  sure  they 
cannot  help  it.  And  when  you  meet  after  the 
absence  of  a  year  or  so,  you  hear  the  same 
thing. 

But  all,  all,  all  may  be  summed  up  in  one 
single  sentence.  They  are  the  brethren  and 
sisters  of  Lot.     They  linger. 


EEMEMBER   LOT.  337 

Ah !  reader,  if  you  are  a  lingering  soul,  you 
are  not  happy.  You  know  you  are  not.  It 
would  be  strange  indeed  if  you  were  so. 
Lingering  is  the  sure  destruction  of  a  happy 
Christianity.  A  lingerer's  conscience  forbids 
him  to  enjoy  inward  peace. 

Perhaps  at  one  time  you  did  run  well.  But 
you  have  left  your  first  love, — you  have  never 
felt  the  same  comfort  since,  and  you  never 
will  till  you  return  to  your  first  works.  Like 
Peter,  when  the  Lord  Jesus  was  taken  pris- 
oner, you  are  following  the  Lord  afar  off,  and 
like  him  you  will  find  the  way  not  pleasant  but 
hard. 

Come  and  look  at  Lot.  Come  and  mark  Lot's 
history.  Come  and  consider  Lot's  lingering,  and 
be  wise. 

IIL  Let  us  next  consider  the  reasons  that 
may  account  for  Lot's  lingering. 

This  is  a  question  of  great  importance,  and 
I  ask  your  serious  attention  to  it.  To  know 
the  root  of  a  disease  is  one  step  towards  a 
remedy.     He  that  is  forewarned  is  forearmed. 

Who  is  there  among  the  readers  of  these 


338  KEMEMBER   LOT. 


pages  that  feels  secure,  and  has  no  fear  of  lin- 
gering ?  Confie  and  listen  while  I  tell  you  a 
few  passages  in  Lot's  history.  Do  as  he  did, 
and  it  will  be  a  miracle  indeed  if  you  do  not 
get  into  the  same  state  of  soul  at  last. 

One  thing,  then,  I  observe  in  Lot,  is  this,  he 
made  a  ivrong  choice  in  early  life. 

There  was  a  time  when  Abraham  and  Lot 
lived  together.  They  both  became  rich,  and 
could  live  together  no  longer.  Abraham,  the 
elder  of  the  two,  in  the  true  spirit  of  humility 
and  courtesy,  gave  Lot  the  choice  of  the  coun- 
try, when  they  resolved  to  part  company  ;  "  If 
thou,"  he  said,  *'  wilt  take  the  left  hand  then  I 
will  go  to  the  right,  or  if  thou  depart  to  the  right 
hand  then  I  will  go  to  the  left."     (Gen.  xiii.  9.) 

And  what  did  Lot  do? — We  are  told  he  saw 
the  plains  of  Jordan,  near  Sodom,  were  rich, 
fertile  and  well- watered.  It  was  a  good  land 
for  cattle,  and  full  of  pastures.  He  had  large 
flocks  and  herds,  and  it  just  suited  his  require- 
ments. And  this  was  the  land  he  chose  for  a 
residence,  simply  because  it  was  a  rich,  well- 
watered  land. 


REMEMBER   LOT.  839 

It  was  near  the  town  of  Sodom !  He  cared 
not  for  that. 

The  men  of  Sodom,  who  would  be  his  neigh- 
bors, were  wicked  !    It  mattered  not. 

They  were  sinners  before  God  exceedingly ! 
It  made  no  difference  to  him. 

The  pasture  was  rich.  The  land  was  good. 
He  wanted  such  a  country  for  his  flocks  and 
herds.  And  before  that  argument  all  scruples 
and  doubts,  if  indeed  he  had  any,  at  once  went 
down. 

He  chose  by  sight,  and  not  by  faith.  He 
asked  no  counsel  of  God  to  preserve  him  from 
mistakes.  He  looked  to  the  things  of  time,  and 
not  of  eternity.  He  thought  of  his  worldly 
profit,  and  not  of  his  soul.  He  considered  only 
what  would  help  him  in  this  life, — he  forgot  the 
solemn  business  of  the  life  to  come.  This  was 
a  bad  beginning. 

But  I  observe  also  that  Lot  mixed  with 
sinners  when  there  was  no  occasion  for  his 
doing  so. 

We  are  first  told  that  he  "  pitched  his  tent 


840  REMEMBER   LOT. 

toward  Sodom."  (Gen.  xiii.  12.)  This,  as  I 
have  ah'eady  shown,  was  a  great  mistake. 

But  the  next  time  he  is  mentioned,  we  find 
him  actually  living  in  Sodom  itself.  The  Spirit 
says  expressly,  "He  dwelt  in  Sodom."  -(Gen. 
xiv.  12.)  His  tents  were  left.  The  country 
was  forsaken.  He  occupied  a  house  in  the  very 
streets  of  that  wicked  town. 

We  are  not  told  the  reasons  of  this  change. 
We  are  not  aware  that  any  occasion  could 
have  arisen  for  it.  We  are  sure  there  could 
have  been  no  command  of  God.  Perhaps  his 
wife  liked  the  town  better  than  the  country,  for 
the  sake  of  society.  It  is  plain  she  had  no  grace 
herself.  Perhaps  she  persuaded  Lot  it  was 
needful  for  the  education  of  his  daughters. 
Perhaps  the  daughters  urged  living  in  the  town 
for  the  sake  of  gay  company :  they  were  evi- 
dently light-minded  young  women.  Perhaps 
Lot  liked  it  himself,  in  order  to  make  more  of 
his  flocks  and  herds.  Men  never  want  reasons 
to  confirm  their  wills.  But  one  thing  is  very 
clear, — Lot  dwelt  in  the  midst  of  Sodom  with- 
out good  cause. 


REMEMBER   LOT.  841 


Reader,  when  a  child  of  God  does  these  two 
things,  which  I  have  named,  you  never  need  be 
surprised  if  you  hear,  by^and-by,  unfavorable 
accounts  about  his  soul.  You  never  need  won- 
der if  he  becomes  deaf  to  the  warning  voice  of 
affliction,  as  Lot  was,  (Gen.  xiv.  12,)  and  turns 
out  a  lingerer  in  the  day  of  trial  and  danger,  as 
Lot  did. 

Make  a  wrong  choice, — an  unscriptural 
choice,— in  life,  and  settle  yourself  down  unne- 
cessarily in  the  midst  of  worldly  people,  and  I 
know  no  surer  way  to  damage  your  own  spir- 
ituality, and  to  go  backward  about  your  eternal 
concerns. 

This  is  the  way  to  make  the  pulse  of  your 
soul  beat  feebly  and  languidly.  This  is  the  way 
to  make  the  edge  of  your  feeling  about  sin 
become  blunt  and  dull.  This  is  the  way  to  dim 
the  eyes  of  your  spiritual  discernment,  till  you 
can  scarcely  distinguish  good  from  evil,  and 
stumble  as  you  walk.  This  is  the  way  to  bring 
a  moral  palsy  on  your  feet  and  limbs,  and  make 
you  go  tottering  and  trembling  along  the  road 
to  Zion,  as  if  the  grasshopper  was  a  burden. 


342  REMEMBER  LOT. 

This  is  the  way  to  sell  the  pass  to  your  worst 
enemy, — to  give  the  devil  the  vantage-ground 
in  the  battle, — to  tie  your  arms  in  fighting, — 
to  fetter  your  legs  in  running, — to  dry  up  the 
sources  of  your  strength,— to  cripple  your  own 
energies, — to  cut  off  your  own  hair,  like  Sam- 
son, and  give  yourself  into  the  hands  of  the 
Philistines,  put  out  your  own  eyes,  grind  at  the 
mill,  and  become  a  slave. 

Reader,  wake  up  and  mark  well  what  I  am 
saying.  Settle  these  things  down  in  your 
mind.  Do  not  forget  them.  Recollect  them 
in  the  morning.  Recall  them  to  memory  at 
night.  Let  them  sink  down  deeply  into  your 
heart.  If  ever  you  would  be  safe  from  linger- 
ing, beware  of  needless  mingling  with  worldly 
people.  Beware  of  Lot's  choice.  If  you  would 
not  settle  down  into  a  dry,  dull,  sleepy,  idle, 
barren,  heavy,  carnal,  stupid,  torpid  state  of 
soul,  beware  of  Lofs  choice. 

Remember  this  in  choosing  a  dwelling-place 
or  residence.  It  is  not  enough  that  the  house 
is  comfortable, — the  situation  good, — the  air 
fine,  —  the   neighborhood   pleasant,  —  the   ex- 


KEMEMBER   LOT.  843 


penses  small, — the  living  cheap.  There  are 
other  things  yet  to  be  considered.  You  must 
think  of  your  immortal  soul.  Will  the  house 
you  think  of  help  you  towards  heaven  or  hell  ? 
— Is  the  Gospel  preached  within  easy  dis- 
tance?— Is  Christ  crucified  within  reach  of 
your  door? — Is  there  a  real  man  of  God  near, 
who  will  watch  over  your  soul  ?  I  charge  you, 
if  you  love  life,  not  to  overlook  this.  Beware 
of  Lofs  choice. 

Remember  this  in  choosing  a  calling,  a  place, 
or  profession  in  life.  It  is  not  enough  that  the 
salary  is  high,  the  wages  good, — the  labor  light, 
the  advantages  numerous, — the  prospects  of 
getting  on  most  favorable.  Think  of  your  soul, 
your  immortal  soul.  Will  it  be  fed  or  starved? 
Will  it  be  prospered  or  drawn  back  ?  I  be- 
seech you,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  to  take  heed 
what  you  do.  Make  no  rash  decision.  Look 
at  the  place  in  every  light,  the  light  of  God  as 
well  as  the  light  of  the  world.  Gold  may  be 
bought  too  dear.     Beware  of  Lot's  choice. 

Remember  this  in  choosing  a  husband  or 
wife,  if  you  are  unmarried.     It  is  not  enough 


844  REMEMBER  LOT. 


that  your  eye  Is  pleased, — that  your  tastes  are 
met, — that  your  minds  find  congeniality, — that 
there  is  amiabiHty  and  affection, — that  there  is 
a  comfortable  home  for  life.  There  needs 
something  more  than  this.  There  is  a  life  yet 
to  come.  Think  of  your  soul,  your  immortal 
souL  Will  it  be  helped  upwards,  or  dragged 
downwards  by  the  union  you  are  planning? 
— Will  it  be  made  more  heavenly,  or  more 
earthly, — drawn  nearer  to  Christ,  or  to  the 
world  ? — Will  its  religion  grow  in  vigor,  or 
will  it  decay  ?  I  pray  you,  by  all  your  hopes 
of  glory,  allow  this  to  enter  into  your  calcula- 
tions. Think,  as  old  Baxter  said,  and  think, 
and  think,  and  think  again,  before  you  commit 
yourself.  "  Be  not  unequally  yoked."  (2  Cor. 
vi.  14.)  Matrimony  is  nowhere  named  among 
the  means  of  conversion.  Remember  Lot's 
choice. 

Remember  this,  if  you  are  ever  offered  a 
situation  on  a  railway.  It  is  not  enough  to 
have  good  pay,  and  regular  employment,  the 
confidence  of  the  directors,  and  the  best  chance 
of  rising  to  a  higher  post.     These   things  are 


REMEMBER   LOT.  345 

very  well  in  their  way.  but  they  are  not  every- 
thing. How  will  your  soul  fare,  if  you  serve 
a  railway  company  that  runs  Sunday  trains  ? 
— What  day  in  the  week  will  you  have  for 
God  and  eternity  ? — What  opportunities  will 
you  have  for  hearing  the  Gospel  preached  ? 
I  solemnly  warn  you  to  consider  this.  It  will 
profit  you  nothing  to  fill  your  purse,  if  you 
bring  leanness  and  poverty  on  your  soul.  Be- 
ware of  selling  your  Sabbath  for  the  sake  of  a 
good  place.     Beware  of  Lot's  choice. 

Reader,  you  may  perhaps  think,  "  a  believer 
need  not  fear, — he  is  a  sheep  of  Christ, — he 
will  never  perish, — he  cannot  come  to  much 
harm.  It  cannot  be  that  such  small  matters 
can  be  of  great  importance." 

Well !  you  may  think  so ;  but  I  warn  you, 
if  you  neglect  them,  your  soul  will  never  pros- 
per. A  true  believer  will  certainly  not  be  cast 
away,  although  he  may  linger  ;  but  if  he  does 
linger,  it  is  vain  to  suppose  his  religion  will 
thrive. 

Grace  is  a  tender  plant.  Unless  you  cherish 
it,  and  nurse  it  well,  it  will  soon  become  sickly 


84:6  REMEMBER   LOT. 

in  this  evil  world.  It  may  droop,  though  it 
cannot  die.  The  brightest  gold  will  soon  be- 
come dim,  when  exposed  to  a  damp  atmos- 
phere. The  hottest  iron  will  soon  become 
cold.  It  requires  pains  and  toil  to  bring  it  to 
a  red  heat.  It  requires  nothing  but  letting  alone, 
or  a  little  cold  water,  to  become  black  and 
hard. 

You  may  be  an  earnest,  zealous  Christian 
now.  You  may  feel  like  David  in  his  prosperity, 
"  I  shall  never  be  moved."  (Psalm  xxx.  6.) 
But  be  not  deceived.  You  have  only  got  to 
walk  in  Lot's  steps,  and  make  Lot's  choice, 
and  you  will  soon  come  to  Lot's  state  of  soul- 
Allow  yourself  to  do  as  he  did, — presume  to 
act  as  he  acted,  and  be  very  sure  you  will  soon 
discover  you  have  become  a  wretched  lingerer, 
like  him. 

You  will  find  like  Samson,  the  presence  of 
the  Lord  is  no  longer  with  you.  You  will 
prove,  to  your  own  shame,  an  undecided,  hesi- 
tating man,  in  the  day  of  trial.  There  will 
come  a  canker  on  your  religion,  and  eat  out 
its  vitality  without  your  knowing  it.     There 


REMEMBER   LOT.  347 

will  come  a  consumption  on  your  spiritual 
strength,  and  waste  it  away  insensibly.  And 
at  length  you  will  wake  up  to  find  your  hands 
hardly  able  to  do  the  Lord's  work,  and  your 
feet  hardly  able  to  carry  you  along  the  Lord's 
way,  and  your  faith  no  bigger  than  a  grain  of 
mustard-seed ; — and  this  perhaps  at  some  turn- 
ing point  in  your  life,  at  a  time  when  the  ene- 
my is  coming  in  like  a  flood,  and  your  need  is 
the  sorest. 

Ah!  Reader,  if  you  would  not  become  a  lin- 
gerer in  religion,  consider  these  things.  Beware 
of  doing  what  Lot  did. 

IV.  Let  us  inquire  now  what  kind  of  fruit 
Lot's  lingering  spirit  bore  at  length. 

I  would  not  pass  over  this  point  for  many 
I'easons,  and  especially  in  the  present  day. 

There  are  not  a  few  who  will  feel  disposed 
to  say,  "  After  all  Lot  was  saved,  —  he  was 
justified, — he  got  to  heaven.  I  want  no  more. 
If  I  do  but  get  to  heaven  I  shall  be  content." 

Reader,  if  this  be  the  thought  of  your  heart, 
just  stay  a  moment  and  listen  to  me  a  little 
longer.     I  will  show  you  one  or  two  things  in 


348  REMEMBER   LOT. 


Lot's  history,  which  deserve  attention,  and  may 
perhaps  induce  you  to  alter  your  mind. 

I  think  it  of  first  importance  to  dwell  upon 
this  subject.  I  always  will  contend  that  emi- 
nent holiness  and  eminent  usefulness  are  most 
closely  connected, — that  happiness  and  follow- 
ing the  Lord  full}^  go  side  by  side, — and  that  if 
believers  will  linger,  they  must  not  expect  to 
be  useful  in  their  day  and  generation,  or  to  en- 
joy great  comfort  and  peace  in  believing. 

Mark  then,  for  one  thing,  Lot  did  no  good 
among  the  inhabitants  of  Sodom. 

Lot  lived  in  Sodom  many  years.  No  doubt 
he  had  many  precious  opportunities  for  speak- 
ing of  the  things  of  God,  and  trying  to  turn 
away  souls  from  sin.  But  Lot  seems  to  have 
effected  just  nothing  at  all.  He  appears  to 
have  had  no  weight  or  influence  with  the 
people  vs^ho  lived  around  him.  He  possessed 
none  of  that  respect  and  reverence  which  even 
the  men  of  the  world  will  frequently  concede 
to  a  bright  servant  of  God. 

Not  one  righteous  person  could  be  found  in 
all  Sodom,  outside  the  walls  of  Lot's  home. 


EEMEMBER   LOT. 


349 


Not  one  of  his  neighbors  believed  his  testi- 
mony. Not  one  of  his  acquaintances  honored 
the  Lord  when  he  worshipped.  Not  one  of 
his  servants  served  his  master's  God.  Not 
one  of  "  all  the  people  from  every  quarter" 
cared  a  jot  for  his  opinion  when  he  tried  to 
restrain  their  wickedness.  "  This  one  fellow 
came  into  sojourn,'"'  said  they,  "  and  he  will 
needs  be  a  judge."  (Gen.  xix.  9.)  His  life  car- 
ried no  weight.  His  words  were  not  listened 
to.     His  religion  drew  none. 

And  truly  I  do  not  wonder.  As  a  general 
rule,  lingering  souls  do  no  good  to  the  world, 
and  bring  no  credit  to  God's  cause.  Their  salt 
has  too  little  savor  to  season  the  corruption 
around  them.  They  are  not  epistles  of  Christ, 
that  can  be  known  and  read  of  all.  (2  Cor.  iii. 
2.  )  There  is  nothing  magnetic,  and  attractive, 
and  Christ-reflecting  about  their  ways.  Re- 
member this. 

Mark  another  thing.  Lot  helped  no  rela- 
tion towards  heaven. 

We  are  not  told  how  large  his  family  was. 
But  this   we  know, — he   had  a  wife  and  two 


350  REMEMBER   LOT. 

daughters  at  least,  in  the  day  he  was  called  out 
of  Sodom,  if  he  had  not  more  children  besides. 

But  whether  Lot's  family  was  large  or 
small,  one  thing,  I  think,  is  perfectly  clear, — 
there  was  not  one  among  them  all  that  feared 
God. 

When  he  "  went  out  and  spake  to  his  sons- 
in-law  which  married  his  daughters,"  and 
warned  them  to  flee  from  the  coming  judg- 
ments, we  are  told,  "  he  seemed  to  them  as  one 
that  mocked."  (Gen.  xix.  14.)  What  fearful 
words  those  are  !  It  was  as  good  as  saying, 
"  Who  cares  for  anything  you  say  ?"  So  long 
as  the  world  stands  those  words  will  be  a  pain- 
ful proof  of  the  contempt  with  which  a  lin- 
gerer in  religion  is  regarded. 

And  what  was  Lot's  wife  ?  She  left  the 
city  in  his  company,  but  she  did  not  go  far. 
She  had  not  faith  to  see  the  need  of  such  a 
speedy  flight.  She  left  her  heart  in  Sodom 
when  she  began  to  flee.  She  looked  back 
from  behind  her  husband,  in  spite  of  the 
plainest  commands  not  to  do  so,  (Gen.  xix.  17,) 
and  was  at  once  turned  into  a  pillar  of  salt. 


KEMEMBER   LOT.  851 

And  what  were  Lot's  two  daughters?  The5 
escaped  indeed, — but  only  to  do  the  devil's 
work.  They  became  their  father's  tempters 
to  wickedness,  and  led  him  to  commit  the 
foulest  of  sins. 

In  short,  Lot  stood  alone  in  his  family.  He 
was  not  made  the  means  of  keeping  one  soul 
back  from  the  gates  of  hell. 

And  I  do  not  wonder.  Lingering  souls  are 
seen  through  by  their  own  families,  and  when 
seen  through  despised.  Their  nearest  rela- 
tions understand  inconsistency  if  they  under- 
stand nothing  else  in  religion.  They  draw 
the  sad,  but  not  unnatural  conclusion,  "  Surely 
if  he  believed  all  he  professes  to  believe,  he 
would  not  go  on  as  he  does."  Lingering 
parents  seldom  have  godly  children.  The  eye 
of  the  child  drinks  in  far  more  than  the  ear. 
A  child  will  always  observe  what  you  do  much 
more  than  what  you  say.     Remember  this. 

Mark  a  third  thing.  Lot  left  no  evidences 
behind  him  when  he  died. 

We  know  but  little  about  Lot  after  his  flight 
from  Sodom,  and  all  that  we  do  know  is  un- 


352  REMEMBER   LOT. 


satisfactory.  His  pleading  for  Zoar,  because 
it  was  "  a  little"  city, — his  departure  from 
Zoar  afterwards,  —  and  his  conduct  in  the 
cave, — all,  all  tell  the  same  story.  All*  show 
the  weakness  of  the  grace  that  was  in  him, 
and  the  low  state  of  soul  into  which  he  had 
fallen. 

We  know  not  how  long  he  lived  after  his 
escape.  We  know  not  where  he  died,  or 
when  he  died, — whether  he  saw  Abraham 
again, — what  was  the  manner  of  his  death, — 
what  he  said,  or  what  he  thought.  All  these 
are  hidden  things.  We  are  told  of  the  last 
moments  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Joseph, — 
but  not  one  word  about  Lot.  Oh  !  what  a 
gloomy  death-bed  the  death-bed  of  Lot  must 
have  been ! 

The  Scripture  appears  to  draw  a  veil  around 
him  on  purpose.  There  is  a  painful  silence 
about  his  latter  end.  He  seems  to  go  out  like 
an  expiring  lamp,  and  leave  an  evil  savor  be- 
hind him.  And  had  we  not  been  specially 
told  in  the  New  Testament  that  Lot  was 
"just"  and   "righteous,"   I  verily  believe  we 


KEMEMBEE   LOT.  853 

should  have  doubted  whether  Lot  was  a  saved 
soul  at  all. 

But  I  do  not  wonder  at  his  sad  end.  Lin- 
gering believers  will  generally  reap  according 
as  they  have  sown.  Their  lingering  often 
meets  them  when  their  spirit  is  departing. 
They  have  little  peace  at  the  last.  They 
reach  heaven,  to  be  sure,  but  they  reach  it  in 
darkness  and  storm.  They  are  saved,  but 
saved  so  as  by  fire. 

Reader,  consider  these  three  things  I  have 
just  mentioned.  Do  not  misunderstand  my 
meaning.  It  is  amazing  to  observe  how 
readily  people  catch  at  the  least  excuse  for 
misunderstanding  the  things  that  concern  their 
souls ! 

I  do  not  tell  you  that  believers  who  do  not 
linger  will,  as  a  matter  of  course,  be  great  in- 
struments of  usefulness  to  the  world.  Noah 
preached  one  hundred  and  twenty  years,  and 
none  believed  him.  The  Lord  Jesus  was  not 
esteemed  by  His  own  people,  the  Jews. 

Nor  yet  do  I  tell  you  that  believers  who  do 
not  linger  will,  as  a  matter  of  course,  be  the 


354  REMEMBER  LOT. 


means  of  converting  their  faaiilies  and  rela- 
tions.- David's  children  were  many  of  them 
ungodly.  The  Lord  Jesus  was  not  believed 
even  by  His  own  brethren.     (John  vii.  5.) 

But  I  do  say  it  is  almost  impossible  not  to 
see  a  connection  between  Lot's  evil  choice, 
and  Lot's  lingering, — and  between  Lot's  lin- 
gering, and  his  unprofitableness  to  his  family 
and  the  world.  I  believe  the  Spirit  meant  us 
to  see  it.  I  believe  the  Spirit  meant  to  make 
it  a  beacon  to  all  professing  Christians.  And 
I  am  sure  the  lessons  I  have  tried  to  draw 
from  the  whole  history,  deserve  serious  re- 
flection. 

Let  me  speak  a  few  parting  words  to  all 
who  read  this  paper,  and  especially  to  all  who 
call  themselves  believers  in  Christ. 

I  have  no  wish  to  make  your  hearts  sad.  I 
do  not  want  to  give  you  a  gloomy  view  of  the 
Christian  course.  My  only  object  is  to  give 
you  friendly  warnings.  I  desire  your  peace 
and  comfort.  I  would  fain  see  you  happy,  as 
well  as  safe, — and  joyful  as  well  as  justified. 
I  speak,  as  I  have  done,  for  your  good. 


KEMEMBER   LOT.  855 


You  live  in  days  when  a  lingering,  Lot-like 
religion  abounds.  The  stream  of  profession  is 
far  broader  than  it  once  was,  but  far  less  deep 
in  many  places.  A  certain  kind  of  Christi- 
anity is  almost  fashionable  now.  To  belong 
to  some  party  in  the  church,  and  show  a  zeal 
for  its  interests, — to  talk  about  the  leading 
controversies  of  the  day, — to  buy  popular  re- 
ligious books  as  fast  as  they  come  out,  and  lay 
them  on  your  table, — to  attend  meetings, — 
subscribe  to  societies, — and  discuss  the  merits 
of  preachers, — all  these  are  now  compara- 
tively easy  and  common  attainments.  They 
no  longer  make  a  person  singular.  They  re- 
quire little  or  no  sacrifice.    They  entail  no  cross. 

But  to  walk  closely  with  God, — to  be  really 
spiritually-minded, — to  behave  like  strangers 
and  pilgrims, — to  be  distinct  from  the  world 
in  employment  of  time,  in  conversation,  in 
amusements,  in  dress, — to  bear  a  faithful  wit- 
ness for  Christ  in  all  places, — to  leave  a  savor 
of  our  Master  in  every  society, — to  be  prayer- 
ful, humble,  unselfish,  meek, — to  be  jealously 
afraid   of  sin,   and    tremblingly  alive   to  our 


856  REMEMBER   LOT. 

danger  from  the  world, — these,  these  are  still 
rare  things.  They  are  not  common  among 
those  who  are  called  true  Christians,  and 
worst  of  all,  the  absence  of  them  is  not  felt 
and  bewailed  as  it  should  be. 

Reader,  I  give  you  good  counsel  this  day. 
Do  not  turn  from  it.  Do  not  be  angr)^  with 
me  for  plain  speaking.  I  bid  you  give  diligence 
to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure.  I  bid 
you  not  to  be  slothful, — not  to  be  careless, — 
not  to  be  content  with  a  small  measure  of 
grace, — not  to  be  satisfied  with  being  a  little 
better  than  the  world.  I  solemnly  warn  you 
not  to  attempt  doing  what  never  can  be  done, 
— I  mean  to  serve  Christ,  and  yet  keep  in  with 
the  world.  I  call  upon  you,  and  beseech  you, 
I  charge  you,  and  exhort  you, — by  all  your 
hopes  of  heaven,  and  desires  of  glory, — do  not 
he  a  lingering  soul. 

Would  you  know  what  the  times  demand, 
— the  shaking  of  nations,— the  uprooting  of 
ancient  things, — the  overturning  of  kingdohns, 
— the  stir  and  restlessness  of  men's  minds  ? 
They  all  say, — Christian!  do  not  linger! 


REMEMBEE   LOT.  857 


Would  you  be  found  ready  for  Christ  at  His 
second  appearing, — your  loins  girded, — your 
lamp  burning, — yourself  bold  and  prepared  to 
meet  Him  ?     Then  do  not  linger  ! 

Would  you  enjoy  much  sensible  comfort  in 
your  religion, — feel  the  witness  of  the  Spirit 
within  you, — know  in  whom  you  have  believed, 
— and  not  be  a  gloomy  and  melancholy  Chris- 
tian ?     Then  do  not  linger! 

Would  you  enjoy  strong  assurance  of  your 
own  salvation  in  the  day  of  sickness,  and  on 
the  bed  of  death  ? — Would  you  see  with  the 
eye  of  faith  heaven  opening,  and  Jesus  rising 
to  receive  you  ?     Then  do  not  linger ! 

Would  you  leave  great  broad  evidences  be- 
hind you,  when  you  are  gone  ? — Would  you 
like  us  to  lay  you  in  the  grave  with  comfortable 
hope,  and  talk  of  your  state  after  death  with- 
out a  doubt  ?    Then  do  not  linger! 

Would  you  be  useful  to  the  world  in  your 
day  and  generation  ? — Would  you  draw  men 
from  sin  to  Christ,  and  make  your  Master's 
cause  beautiful  in  their  eyes?  Then  do  not 
linger ! 


358  REMEMBER   LOT. 


Would  you  help  your  children  and  relations 
towards  heaven,  and  make  them  say,  "  We 
will  go  with  you  ?"  and  not  make  them  infidels 
and  despisers  of  all  religion  ?  Then  do  not 
linger  ! 

Would  you  have  a  great  crown  in  the  day 
of  Christ's  appearing,  and  not  be  the  least  and 
smallest  star  in  glory,  and  not  find  yourself  the 
last  and  lowest  in  the  kingdom  of  God?  Then 
do  not  linger! 

Oh!  let  none  of  us  linger.  Time  does  not, — 
death  does  not, — ^judgment  does  not, — the  devil 
does  not, — the  world  does  not.  Neither  let  the 
children  of  God  linger. 

Reader,  are  you  a  lingerer  ?  Has  your  heart 
felt  heavy,  and  your  conscience  sore,  while  you 
have  been  reading  these  pages  ?  Does  some- 
thing within  you  whisper,  "  I  am  the  man  ?" 
Reader,  listen  to  what  I  am  saying, — how  is  it 
with  your  soul  ? 

If  you  are  a  lingerer,  you  must  just  go  to 
Christ  at  once  and  be  cured, — you  must  use 
the  old  remedy.  You  must  bathe  in  the  old 
fountain.     You  must  turn  again  to  Christ,  and 


REMEMBER   LOT.  859 

be  healed.  The  way  to  do  a  thing  is  to  do  it. 
Do  this  at  once. 

Think  not  for  a  moment  your  case  is  past 
recovery.  Think  not  because  you  have  been 
long  living  in  a  dry  and  heavy  state  of  soul, 
that  there  is  no  hope  of  revival.  Is  not  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  an  appointed  Physician  for 
the  soul  ?  Did  He  not  cure  every  form  of 
disease  ?  Did  not  He  cast  out  every  kind  of 
devil  ?  Did  He  not  raise  poor  backsliding  Peter, 
and  put  a  new  song  in  his  mouth  ?  Oh !  doubt 
not,  but  earnestly  believe  that  He  will  yet  re- 
vive His  work  within  you.  Only  turn  from 
lingering,  and  confess  your  folly,  and  come, — 
come  at  once  to  Christ.  Blessed  are  the 
words  of  the  prophet,  "  Only  acknowledge 
thine  iniquity," — "  Return,  ye  backsliding  chil- 
dren, and  I  will  heal  your  backsliding." 
(Jerem.  iii.  13,  22.) 

Reader,  remember  the  souls  of  others,  as 
well  as  your  own.  If  at  any  time  you  see  any 
brother  or  sister  lingering,  try  to  awaken  them, 
— try  to  arouse  them, — try  to  stir  them  up. 
Let  us  all  exhort  one  another  as  we  have  oppor- 


360  EEMEMBER   LOT. 


tunity.  Let  us  provoke  unto  love  and  good 
works.  Let  us  not  be  afraid  to  say  to  each 
other,  "  Brother,  or  sister,  have  you  forgotten 
Lot?  Awake!  and  remember  Lot! — Awake 
and  Hnger  no  more." 


THE    END. 


DATE    DUE 

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